Onward to New Heights
by Bunbunmaru News
Summary: It's been almost 2 years since Black left Unova to find N. While on his journey, he hears stories of the prodigy trainer, Red. Hoping to discover Red's whereabouts, he enlists the aid of Professor Oak, Blue, and Scott, who has plans to start a brand new Battle Frontier. But how does Scott plan on finding his Frontier Brains? By hosting the first ever World Tournament. Set in Gen V.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: The general procedures apply. I own neither Pokemon nor its associated creations. This is a purely derivative work that follows its own canon and interpretations.**

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Introduction

A biting howl tore through the hole of a vast, cerulean cavern as outside, a blizzard raged on. The cavern's only human occupant shivered for a second as creeps tore down his spine, causing a tingle. He hadn't been cold in a long time, not since moving to the top of the mountain. So why was he shivering now? Before an answer could be formulated, however, the freeze shock suddenly disappeared as abruptly as it had begun, even as snow continued to blow in through the hole in the cave. That was strange. What was going on? The teenager looked at his yellow companion in question. _I don't suppose you have an answer?_ said his eyes. The mouse merely shrugged its shoulders and snuggled in closer to its age-old friend, closing its eyes. Its partner scratched it behind the ear, earning himself a soft sound of approval. He continued to scratch it as he moved toward an artificial window of the cave. Peering outside, he was met with nothing but a face full of gray, white, and black. Raging winds sliced at his face, the sting of the elements earning him a loud protest from his pores. The spiraling snow whipped back and forth in front of him before disappearing. Red sighed, causing his Pikachu to glance up at him in question. When there was no reply, the small mouse went back to its snoozing, trying to ignore the chill. There'd be no training until the intense storm cleared up, unless he wanted to get lost again.

All of a sudden, the winds vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence. Red glanced up in curiosity. The rate of snowfall died down almost instantaneously, before picking up again, and then stopping completely, all in the space of about 2 minutes. Something was off... the weather on Mount Silver never did that—and, even if it did, certainly not at the aforementioned speed. Sunlight began to pierce the firmaments as the last snowflake drifted down gently onto Red's outstretched palm. He examined it in stoic wonder for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. Then, as he moved his head to look up again, the slate grey expanse of clouds exploded (or rather expanded) away from each other, causing the morning Sun's strong light to strike at Red's shocked eyes. What had only just been cloaking the entirety of the forbidden mountain in darkness moments ago had suddenly vanished, with nary a trace of it in sight.

A loud roar to the right of the mountaintop caught the Champion's attention. Glancing over, he saw a black blur cloaked in blue (was that _lightning_?!) tearing through the sky in the distance. It stopped short of about 100 feet from his current location. What was it? He looked over his shoulder at Pikachu, who had gotten off his shoulder earlier to avoid the snowy chill. The Electric-type ran over to him, and took a look at the strange creature in the distance. "Piiiiika...," it said aloud in wonder. The black dragon was about 9 feet in height, with two wings which had what appeared to be studs at the end, where wings met shoulders. Its curious-looking tail eerily resembled an electric turbine, being cylindrical and round in shape and consisting of spike formations. Bands along its tail occasionally glowed blue as the foreign dragon blinked its red scleras at the rising sun, unaware of the fact that someone was watching it. Red continued to monitor the dragon in curiosity when movement on its back caught his attention. His Pikachu moved its head, gazing at the person who had caught its trainer's eyes. There, sitting on the back of the black behemoth, was its trainer, a boy who looked to be around his age. He had brown hair and (from what Red could make of things) brown eyes, with a red hat covering what appeared to be a messy head. A black and grey T-shirt poked out from underneath his light blue jacket, which ended at his waist and met equally dark pants. A black and blue messenger bag was slung over his shoulder, which drew Red's attention to the strange device on his left wrist. It was something he'd never seen before in all of his travels, which clearly meant that he'd been missing out on a lot of things.

The mysterious trainer glanced around at his surroundings with his mouth wide open in fascinated awe. It was obviously his first time being here. The trainer moved to say something to his friend, causing his red-and-white-shoe-clad feet to stick out. The dragon nodded in response, grinning. It looked strangely menacing despite the obvious reason behind it, even from a distance. The dragon's trainer scooted back to his original position, turning his head this way and that, obviously trying to take everything in. Red couldn't help but wonder what he saw. He'd never taken the time to enjoy the view that Mt. Silver had to offer when it wasn't trying to kill him. He made a mental note to ask Charizard to help him with that later. A tug on the bottom of his jeans caught his attention. Glancing down, he saw Pikachu giving him a subtle look-over-there eye. Red wheeled his head (not so subtly) toward the spot where the trainer and his dragon floated. The strange someone had stopped looking everywhere during Red's lapse in concentration, opting instead to focus on the peak of Mt. Silver, right where he stood. The grin he'd been wearing earlier that had exuded an aura of friendliness and bonhomie had all but vanished. Now, he stared—almost to the point of glowering—at Red's hideout, with a look that surprised the Kanto Champion. It was a burning, all-piercing gaze, and, just for a moment, it appeared as though the trainer had spotted him. Red tried his best to nonchalantly shuffle to the side of his "window." 5 inches later and he let out a sigh of relief. That trainer, whoever he was, did a good deal on Evil Eyes. Though he seemed like he would make a strong opponent on the battlefield, Red still had no intention of alerting people to his location if he could avoid it. He and his team very much favored the deathly tomb of silence that permeated the very air on this most desolate of places, as opposed to the hustle and bustle that came with the title of Champion.

When Red glanced back a moment later, the trainer had already begun to shuffle back into a comfortable position on his Pokemon's back. Placing his hands on a spike on the dragon's back, he said something to it, causing the dragon's turbine-like tail to begin glowing. The humming sound it generated reached all the way to Red's ears as the air around the beast began to crackle. Then, in a burst of electricity, trainer and Pokemon took off, making a full 360 circle of the mountain peak before flying off into the distance. Red quickly hurried back into the shadows as the two whizzed by, kicking up a small gale as they passed. He clung onto his hat and closed his eyes as the wind scattered dust all over the place. Had the Kanto Pokemon Master been able to keep his eyes open, he would have seen the trainer glance inside the mountain cave with an almost deathly glare, focusing intensely on the spot where Red had been standing not moments ago as he passed by it. With that, the mysterious duo departed, leaving behind only the tomb-like stillness that Mt. Silver was famous for. Red opened his eyes and looked around, giving the morning sun a small salute with his hat, before preparing for the day ahead of him, his mind ablaze at the day's peculiar events. Strange stuff was already starting and it hadn't even been so much as 7 o'clock.

 _Meanwhile..._

"I've found him, Professor. It's just like Blue and Gold had said. Scott, shall I bring him back then?"


	2. Chapter 1

The morning winds swept through Black's unkempt hair as he and his beloved partner, Zekrom, raced back to Pallet Town to share the news. Below them lay a vast sea of snow white clouds, reminding both of the capped peaks of the mountain that they had left behind mere minutes ago. As he gazed upon the cold expanse of unforgiving mercilessness (should he fall) lurking in the sky, his thoughts returned to the events which had driven him to search for the missing legend.

* * *

" _Oh man the air smells so fresh!" exclaimed Black, stretching his arms into the clear blue sky in joy. The last 2-ish years of his journey had been the best. True, he'd set off with the ultimate end goal of finding his wandering friend, N, but the experiences that had filled those approximately 730 days were what had made them so memorable. During his travels, he had been to several new regions, competing in the various tournaments and leagues along the way, quickly making a name for himself as a trainer without peer—or rather, almost. He'd met tons of new people and Pokemon within that time, even managing to earn the friendship of several Legendaries he'd encountered along the way as well. Eventually, though, his adventures brought him into contact with a long forgotten tale... the buried myth of a virtuoso trainer who had once walked the lands of Kanto, tearing apart all who dared to stand between him and the throne of kings... And so, taking with him his nearest and dearest, Black had quickly set out to explore the land of this enigmatic fable. His sub-quest had led to his retracing the steps of the Kanto Champion as he sought to understand the young man who had vanished from the face of the Earth without saying a word. In due time, the background knowledge he'd obtained from the members of the Indigo Plateau and various Gyms had led him back to the legend's starting point: Pallet Town._

 _Black took another deep breath and exhaled as he looked upon the quiet countryside from atop his little hill. Rice paddies silently ringed the outskirts of the small gathering, while trees dotted all along its dirt roads added a sense of idyllic beauty to the quaint place. Red-orange houses sparsely decorated the base of a large hill at the center of the town, where a big windmill and laboratory were set up. A flock of Pidgey flew past as Black continued to gaze in interest at what was obviously the famed Samuel Oak's lab. Next to him, Zekrom gave a gentle snort as it tried to remind him why they were here in the first place. "Oh, right," he said, snapping out of his reverie. "Thanks, Zekrom." The black dragon merely nodded in answer, eyes also fixed on Oak's Laboratory. "I think I'll walk the rest of the way there, to be honest. Don't want to cause an uproar with the locals because they've never seen you before. I'll call you when it's time to go, okay?" Zekrom nodded again in reply, before taking off toward the green plains, no doubt looking for a small stream to rest in. For as long as Black had known the Legendary Pokemon of Black Yin, it had always preferred to stay outside of its Pokeball and roam whenever not in battle. The dragon's trainer scratched his chin in deep thought for a second. Come to think of it, nearly every Legendary he'd ever known seemed to share that trait of preferring to stay outside as opposed to inside its Pokeball._ Oh well _, he thought._ Whatever worked for them _._

 _Black turned his attention back to Pallet Town as he looked for the quickest and most inconspicuous path to Professor Oak's lab. (Supposedly) Like the trainer that had drawn him here, Black did not enjoy being under public scrutiny every time he went outside. However, unlike the Kanto Champion whose title he too had obtained, Black was at least blessed enough to pass as "socially capable," even if it was quite a stretch (or so he liked to believe). Taking out the new bike he'd gotten when he had first arrived in the faraway region, he prepared his thoughts for how he would approach the wizened researcher, and readied his mind for what said researcher might have to say back to Unova native..._

* * *

 _Black stopped for a moment along the hillside to catch his breath. That hill was_ far _steeper than it had appeared at first glance. And the fact that he had had to scale its circumference all the way up several times did not improve matters. He took a look at his Xtransceiver, wondering what time it was. 12:04 P.M. Good. He had some time for lunch. He quickly pulled out some cheeses and berries from his bag and dug in with relish. A swig of clean, cold water later and he was ready to continue his trek up to Oak's home (this time, without a bike; what a mistake that had been). Black sighed in vexation. "Perhaps I should have just had Zekrom cover us in thunderclouds like he normally does and take me right to the top instead~"_

 _A flight of time-worn stairs greeted Black upon his arrival at the top of the hill. He groaned and dragged his tired body up the remaining labors. Despite having traveled for much of his life, his body was just not in the mood to climb a large hill and stairs, it appeared. He wearily knocked on the aged brown doors of the building, wondering if the whole trip had even been worth it, when they opened. Black took a step back in surprise and looked at the person who greeted him. It was a researcher. "E-excuse m-me, I was w-wondering if Professor Oak was here," he managed to stammer out. So much for socially capable._

" _Oh yes! He's just finishing up lunch," she replied with a warm smile. "Please come in. He'll be with you momentarily." The researcher stepped aside to let her guest in. From out of the corner of his eye, Black could see her giving him a cautious once-over. A slight shift in her eyes told him that she had recognized who he was. Impressively enough, nothing about the rest of the researcher's facial expression gave any indication that she had put two and two together. Black's imaginary self nodded slowly in respect: this was obviously a very well-composed person, not to mention polite. He absentmindedly took a seat on one of the couches as he looked around at his surroundings, waiting for the famed professor. The living room was a simple and quiet place filled with bookshelves, as humble and picturesque as the town it resided in. On the floor was a soft carpet that tickled his shoes as he dragged them back and forth in curiosity. Several minutes passed as Black became lost in his examination of the room. He snapped out of his daze when a throat gently cleared itself. Standing in front of him, with a polite but reserved smile on his face, was Professor Samuel Oak of Pallet Town, Kanto..._

* * *

 _The man known as Scott had joined the two of them halfway through their discussion on the enigma known as Red. He'd politely waited until Professor Oak had finished telling Black about the snowy terror, Mt. Silver, before taking a seat across from the wizened man. Black had initially had his doubts about this strange person. What business did someone as curiously dressed as him have with an academic like Oak? In Black's defense, it had seemed like a fair question at the time. The complete stranger sitting next to him was wearing perhaps the loudest outfit Black had ever seen in all his travels: round, black sunglasses that completely obscured his eyes; a blue Hawaiian shirt that, upon closer examination, had more than just flowers on it; and a pair of white shorts and equally bright shoes. Definitely not someone you'd expect sitting in an esteemed researcher's house for lunch._

" _... and might I ask your name, young man?" The question aimed at him took Black momentarily by surprise (if only because he had been politely ignoring the conversation up until that point)._

" _I'm sorry what?" he replied._

" _I asked what your name was," the man repeated._

 _Black blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, er, Black. Pleased to meet you." Confound it! He'd already messed up twice in a social setting in one day!_

 _The loudly dressed man sat back deep in thought for a second. "Hm! Hm! I like that name. A pleasure to meet you, Black. The name's Scott. I'm the owner of several battling facilities over here in Kanto known as the Battle Frontier. Maybe you've heard of them?" When the trainer shook his head, Scott grinned. "I expect someone as talented as you would find them a real nice treat. Professor, would you mind explaining the situation to young Black? I believe he might be able to help us, seeing as to how our goals seem to be similar."_

 _The Professor nodded and sighed. "Black, Scott is, as he so said, the owner of the Kanto Battle Frontier, a group of 7 different competitive facilities headed by powerful trainers said to be on par with the Elite Four. For that reason, only some of the toughest trainers out there go to challenge these 'Frontier Brains.' Scott here stopped by, asking after the same person you were."_

" _Red," breathed Black._

" _Yes. You see, Scott wants to expand his long-realized dream of creating a new challenge for strong trainers," Oak continued, looking over at Scott._

 _The owner of the Battle Frontier nodded several times in agreement. "Oh yes. I was thinking about starting up a whole new Battle Frontier, this time filled with the best trainers in the world—the top 5 actually!"_

 _Black simply sat there in stunned silence, not quite sure what to make of things. "And do you have any idea on how you're going to find these top five?"_

 _Scott chuckled. "In fact, I do. I'll explain it to you later. But first," he said, leaning forward. "I'd like to ask of you two things..."_

* * *

7 Frontier Symbols and countless struggles later, and he had found the legendary Pokemon Master, Red, as per the Battle Frontier owner's second impossible request. Black smiled as he felt the sun's gentle rays start to gain intensity. It had certainly been quite a task, tracking down first Blue and then Gold, trying to get both of them to crack on what they knew about Red's whereabouts. Finally, though, they had relented when he'd told them he was doing it for Scott and, more importantly, Professor Oak. Black looked down at his upgraded Xtransceiver. It really was quite amazing what technology could do after all these years. With little more than a few presses, Black had the entirety of the Kanto region spread out before him in the form of a map. He did some quick common-sense-based calculations in his head before gently laying a hand on the side of Zekrom's neck. The dragon turned its head to the side so that one eye was focused on his trainer and friend. "I think it's safe to go below the clouds now," Black said. "In fact, I think we'll have to; the sun's starting to heat up." Zekrom nodded and began their descent as they raced through the humid, gray clouds of the upper skies. Black closed his eyes as he tried to suppress a shiver. The early morning clouds really were quite cold—though not nearly as cold as Mt. Silver. He had been ecstatic at having found Red again, even if he'd only seen him for a few brief moments. For a teenager who'd lived on a cave for a third of his life, Red was really _really_ good at slinking off when he felt the need to.

Black sighed, and glanced down at the world zooming below him. The sea of clouds had begun to thin as trainer and Legendary began to near the Earth's surface. Finally, the patches of clouds parted to reveal the skyline of a waking Viridian City. Before them stretched the pillars of humankind and its ingenuity, birthed by nothing short of miracles piling on top of each other, while directly below lay the natural labyrinth that was the Viridian Forest. Black couldn't help but be amazed, despite having flown numerous times before. Each one was a new experience, each its own unique existence, which was to be savoured like the finest of cheeses.

"Alright, Zekrom," shouted Black. "Onward to Pallet Town, post haste!" Zekrom's tail began to hum with power in response to his close friend's wishes. Lightning started to cloak the pair as the trainer quietly wondered in his mind what the people down below would make of a shooting star made of pure electricity zooming by across their sky in the wee hours of the day.


	3. Chapter 2

Scott was waiting for the two of them near the rice paddies of Pallet Town. Black had his Zekrom (carefully) touch down on one of the artificial mud roads that the farmers had created, before hopping off. "Thanks, old friend. Like always, I'll ring when I need you." With that brief exchange, Zekrom took off once again into the far unknowns, leaving behind his trainer with Scott.

"I'll say, you have quite a bond with Zekrom if you're willing to let him go far," said Scott as he walked towards one of his future Frontier Brains.

"Huh? Oh yeah," Black said, scratching his head awkwardly. "Zekrom doesn't really enjoy being stuck inside a Pokeball. In fact, most if not all my Legendaries prefer to roam when not in battle."

"But how does it know when you need it?" asked Scott in genuine interest.

"It's kind of like what Annabel has with her Pokemon, I guess, except it manifests as more of a sixth sense than empathy," Black replied. "I've never really thought about it up until now to be entirely honest."

Scott shook his head in wonder. "You would think I've seen it all, what with all the trainer scouting I do. But you and your lot never cease to amaze me," he said sarcastically, causing the both of them to chuckle. "I think that's enough small talk for now. So, Black. Earlier on the Xtransceiver, you said that you'd found the missing Red?"

Black nodded as the two began to walk towards Pallet Town. "I did. He's at the top of Mt. Silver, just like Blue and Gold said he would."

They continued on in silence for a short time before Scott finally spoke up again. "I can't believe he's been up there all this time."

"Neither can I."

"Arceus knows how much stronger he's gotten!" Scott exclaimed. He turned to Black, peering over his glasses. "Now don't be modest with me again: are you still sure you could beat someone like him?"

"..." Black said nothing as he shifted his gaze to the approaching town, his face quickly turning to stone as it assumed the deathly look that had unnerved Red earlier. Numerous people had made it a point to tell him just how downright frightening he looked when he adopted his poker/"resting bitch" face and didn't pay careful attention to its intensity. He'd merely laughed along with the persons who had worked up the nerve to tell him that at the time. But now, as he stood there deep in thought, he couldn't but notice just how severe his face felt when that happened. _Huh_. Black's mind continued to stray for a second before he mentally slapped himself, returning to ponder the original question. _Could I really do it? Beat the same person who some claim to have never lost a battle? Should I be polite and just say maybe not? Hmm..._ "I think I probably could," Black said at last, turning to face Scott. "I mean, it'll probably be quite a difficult match. But... Who said I couldn't cheat?" The hair-raising Cheshire grin that split across Black's face at that question shut down any and all further doubts.

With that malicious declaration, Frontier owner and Brain-to-be continued on without a word again, both letting the ghost of that last inquiry haunt them. The rice paddies eventually gave way to small, orange houses and dirt roads. Black wasn't paying any attention to where they were going, so it was almost hilarious when he nearly fell on Scott when they abruptly stopped. "Gah—" he started. "Scott, why'd we stop?" The normally cheery man had paused at a gate, scratching his chin, obviously contemplating something. But _what_ was the question.

"Black, I'm sorry if this is abrupt, but we need to stop at Red's house for a few minutes," said Scott, whose back was still to Black. "We, er, need his mom's blessing. I hope you'll understand but I won't feel okay with what I'm doing until we talk to her first."

Black blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I think that's the right thing to do. But do you have any plans?"

"Simple enough," Scott said as he walked through the white wooden fence toward the old door. "We'll tell her what I told you." And with that, he extended his arm and knocked quietly but resolutely twice. _Knock knock_. As Black walked to a stop beside Scott, he heard an irritated voice yelling from within the house as it hurried toward the door.

"For the love of all that is good! How many _damn_ times must I tell you all I don't have any childhood mementos or soiled underwear to sell as merchan—" Several things happened in the instant that the door to Red's house flew open: first and foremost, Red's incensed mother appeared, brown-haired face red with (righteous) fury as she brandished an aged frying pan at the two in front of her; second, Black pulled Scott back away from the threshold instinctively as both scurried to evade the _flying_ pan; and third, Red's mother's anger quickly dissipated to that of shock and horror as the flying pan continued to sail clear across her front yard, missing her (mistaken) victims' faces by mere inches. To say that Black's traveling experience was the only thing that had saved Scott from a hospital bill and lawsuit would be an understatement. "Oh my word, I am _so_ sorry! Are either of you hurt?!" cried Red's mom.

Scott and Black slowly got up, dusting themselves off. "No, we're fine, Miss. Thanks to Black, that is," Scott said, grinning widely at his companion. "Those were some reflexes there, kid."

Black flushed, scratching his head as he was unsure of how to receive the compliment. "Um... thanks. And you're welcome?"

Scott laughed before turning to Red's mom. "I do apologize for having to startle you like that before we've even been properly introduced. The name's Scott and this here's young Black of the Unova region. We were just on our way to Professor Oak's lab when we—actually, I—thought it would be a good idea to stop by here first. I was wondering if we could come in for some tea; I promise you we're not reporters. In fact, I have something to ask of you concerning your son."

The austere woman carefully examined the outre duo before looking back and forth at her neighbors. Black turned around just in time to see a few townsfolk rush off in feigned innocence. "Oh alright," conceded Red's mom with a tired look. "But only for a short while. My name's Hanako. Come in." She stepped aside to allow the two in.

A horizontal hallway greeted Black upon passing through the threshold of the door. About 5 paces in front of him was a wall, which led to three potential archways. The one in front of him, a little ways to the right, led to the kitchen; the one directly down the hallway on his left, to the living room; and the one straight to the right, a flight of stairs to the second floor. Hanako led Scott and him to the living room, where they carefully took a seat on a couch. It was a very modest space, with only two couches, a wooden table for drinks, and a flatscreen TV. Hanako reentered the room, carrying three teacups and a teapot. Black watched her as she served them, noticing the tired and resigned way in which she moved. This was a woman who had endured many torments in her life... one of which he and Scott hoped to help put an end to by the time they left the house. "So," said the mother of Red, taking a seat on the couch opposite of them. "Tell me why you're here."

Black and Scott looked at each other, before Scott spoke up. "We're here to talk to you about your son, Red." Black noticed a slight twitch in Hanako's left eye at the mention of her son as she continued to sip her tea. If he hadn't noticed the sudden movement, he would have almost had to describe the manner in which she composed herself at that statement as _cold_. Yet still another level-headed and reserved woman of Pallet Town. Black glanced at Scott out of the corner of his eye. Scott seemed to have not noticed Hanako's sudden lapse in composure. "Excuse me, Mrs. Hanako—

Hanako slammed her teacup down onto her saucer. She took a shaky breath before looking both Scott and Black in the eyes. "Please," she begged. "What do you know of Red?" Black couldn't help but inhale sharply. Her entire body had sagged and slumped downward in complete defeat. She was desperate—desperate for any word or mention of her beloved boy.

Scott looked over at Black, who nodded. "Mrs. Hanako, we wanted to speak to you about Red because... well, we've located him. Today, in fact."

Hanako clasped her hands over her mouth in an almost dramatic fashion and gasped. A single tear came to rest on her right cheek. "What... what else do you know about him? Is he... healthy and well?"

Black looked over at Scott again out of the corner of his left eye. "Yes, he's doing relatively fine for someone on a mountaintop." Black paused to let the statement sink in. When Hanako didn't react any further, he continued. "We could have asked him to come down upon finding him. But we didn't think it'd be right until we talked it over with you first, as you're his mom."

Black's voice began to drift off toward the end, causing the statement to hang in the air. Scott immediately took over, understanding exactly why Black had done that. "Right. We came here to receive your permission and blessing to get your son down first. But more than that, I wanted to ask something of you."

"Anything," she whispered as a second tear fell to join its brethren.

"As I said earlier, my name was Scott," he began. "But, more than that, I am the owner of a group of seven battling facilities spread all throughout Kanto known as the Battle Frontier, which has always been my lifelong dream. However, I've recently decided I wanted to expand on that dream... and assemble a group of the 5 greatest Trainers in the _world_." Hanako again didn't say anything as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "As part of my job, I often go around the world, scouting for the most powerful and talented trainers of the region. And it just so happens your son has caught my eye."

Hanako's face hardened almost immediately. "You swore you weren't one of _them_ ," she whispered coldly, referring to the media and business owners that had been bothering her ever since her son had gained the title of Champion when he was only a little over 11 years of age. They were the ones who had forced her to resort to throwing frying pans like a mental patient.

Scott backtracked immediately. "Now, Mrs. Hanako—"

"Please, hear us out," interrupted Black. He shot Scott a look that clearly said _You are in no position to try to reassure her_. "Ma'am, while Scott may be the greedy businessman between the two of us, I can vouch for his word that he doesn't mean to make your life any more difficult than it already is." Black paused for a moment, formulating several different possibilities in his head in an effort to decide which reasons would persuade Hanako the most. From the sound of things, Scott wanted to make Red a Frontier Brain. _Now let's see_ , thought Black. _I hope what I'm making up here is exactly what Scott wants too_. "We would not have come here if we hadn't thought it'd be a great idea. Please, just listen for a second. Scott wants to _invite_ , not force, Red to join the Battle Frontier as a Frontier Brain operating there. Make no mistake. We call them that to show that they are all connected by one man. But it's really more like a bunch of structures spread all throughout an area. I would assume that, as a Frontier Brain of the international level, Red would be able to pick the location of his facility?..." Black looked over to Scott, who nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, he'd be allowed to decide where he wanted his facility located, which means he could set it close to home if he wanted."

"Right. I'm also assuming he's holed up in Mt. Silver—" Hanako actually shot out of her seat when she heard about his location before realizing what she'd done and sat down again. "As I was saying, I'm assuming he's on Mt. Silver because he's looking for strong challengers, as well as training his team. By becoming a Frontier Brain, we could help him in the sense that he wouldn't have to be on a mountain to filter out weak trainers. Scott does that in his own spare time, by scouting out potential challengers so that only the truly formidable know of the Battle Frontier. I can speak for this fact because I've been down that road firsthand."

Silence filled the air again as Black let Hanako digest the information and her tea. "So you're saying that I should give you permission to invite Red to become a so-called 'Frontier Brain' on the basis that it would remove any reasons for him to be on Mt. Silver and keep him closer to home?"

"That's right, ma'am."

"If you can produce another reason why being a Frontier Brain would keep him off the mountain, I'll consider it."

Black had already anticipated she might ask for a third reason, and, as fate would have it, his blindly stumbling along had finally given him the last reason necessary. "Remember how I hypothesized that he was also on Mt. Silver to train? The staff of the Battle Frontier are each powerful and capable trainers in their own right; why would Red need to seek out wild Pokemon to train with when he has some friends nearby said to be on par with or even _surpassing_ the might of the Elite Four?"

Hanako said nothing as she drained the last of her tea. "It looks like you need some time to think this through," Scott said at last, much to everyone's shock. "We'll come back and visit you again tomorrow for your blessing on the matter of both returning Red and making him a Frontier Brain. Please bear in mind that we still intend to return your son to you regardless of whether you agree to our proposition or not; I don't like blackmailing. But do please consider my offer of making him a Frontier Brain. And, uh, thank you for the refreshments and your time." And with that, both Scott and Black quietly left the tired woman to her thoughts. Black looked over his shoulder one last time before closing the front door. The sight of the broken, brown-haired mother alone in her living room, hunched over in misery continued to haunt him even as he and Scott reached Professor Oak's laboratory.


	4. Chapter 3

Black was greeted with the sight of the Viridian City Gym Leader leaning on his grandfather's front door upon climbing the last of the atrocious stairs to the laboratory. He'd arrived, just like they had requested. Blue Oak regarded them with one eye as they approached him. Upon seeing Scott, he marched on over to them, apparently not amused in the slightest bit at having been called by his grandfather before breakfast had even begun. "What's the meaning of all this?" he demanded. "Do you two have any idea how difficult it was to arrange for an abrupt leave literally _an hour_ before the work day? It'd better be good..." Scott and Black put on fake smiles as they "painfully" endured the barrage of bombastic bashing as Blue blew some steam. When the young Oak was finally done, he took a deep breath to calm himself. "So then, why did you two call me here?"

Scott stepped forward. "Hiya, Blue. How's it going? We asked you here to request a battle."

"You called me all the way over here so you could _battle_ me?!" he yelled furiously.

"Well, you see, your gramps's lab was our next destination so..." Scott sheepishly clammed under the intense glare Blue gave him.

"Fine," he said at last. "But with who?"

Scott turned to Black, who stepped forward. "Me. We've finally located Red again."

Blue's face brightened visibly with sunbeams at the pronouncement. "Where is he? The last time I checked, he wasn't at his usual spot."

"He's changed his location to one of the larger peaks, probably in an effort to prevent the other spot from being destroyed due to constant human disturbance."

Blue nodded at the thought. "It would be totally like him to care more about Pokemon than people. Anyway, before we start our battle, would you two mind my asking why exactly it is you're battling _me_ when Red's the one you want?"

"Because you're the one who knows Red's battling style the best," Black said without hesitation. "If anyone's devised a good strategy to counter him, it's you. By battling you, and retracing your footsteps, I can see for the most part what drove you to doing it, thus getting a good idea of how Red battles."

Blue nodded in agreement. It was a fair point. "Fine. We'll take it to Gramps's backyard, alright?" The three made their way to the back, where Professor Oak had already set up a lawn chair and some refreshments.

He waved them over when he saw them approach. "Blue! It's been too long. And how are my pioneers doing?" he asked in amusement. "It's has been _years_ since I've seen a good battle, so I thought I'd prepare for the occasion. Are you two ready?"

Both of the trainers nodded. They turned to Scott, who motioned for them to stand on either side of him about 40 feet apart. "The battle between Blue and Black will now commence," yelled Scott. "It will be a one-on-one battle and will be over when either side is unable to continue. Ready... Begin!"

"Come out, Alakazam!"

"Samurott, let us enact a battle of myths!"

The respective Pokemon appeared on either side of the battlefield, facing each other. Black carefully assessed his surroundings as his Samurott and Blue's Alakazam both tensed upon meeting each other. About 20 paces behind Blue was a river flowing with crystal clear water, while across from its banks was a tree. Looking down, he saw the healthy, verdant green of the grass that licked at his shoes. It would be slightly slippery, seeing as to how the grass was still humid from its earlier watering.

"You can have the first move!" shouted Blue, causing Black's head to snap up. He nodded in thanks to Blue, before turning to look Samurott in the eye. It nodded and charged without any words exchanged. "Psychic!" yelled Blue. He'd barely had any time to blink before Alakazam cried out, the blue energy surrounding it fading as it took a step back. "Alakazam, what happened?" Black's Samurott tackled Alakazam, its seamitar unsheathed and ready to attack as it collided with the Pokemon. Without pausing for a single breath, it leaped again as soon as its feet touched the ground, shooting off after the flying Alakazam. "Alakazam: in front of you! Focus Blast!" Alakazam didn't open its eyes but rather trusted Blue to be their replacement as it fired a crimson orb toward Samurott. Against any normal opponent, Alakazam's Focus Blast would have felled an opponent and punished them heavily for charging headfirst into such a dangerous situation. However, in the case of Black, his Samurott merely sliced at the orb with its seamitar, causing it to be repelled by the explosion. Both Pokemon landed on the grass glaring daggers at each other.

Blue was completely taken aback at the Samurott's speed and reaction time. This was one well-trained opponent. He had to play his cards carefully. "Alakazam, use Recover." A golden emanation rippled through Alakazam's body, healing its bruises as it passed through. By the time five seconds had passed, Alakazam had reached the point where it looked even healthier than when it had been called upon. A gentle breeze drifted through the air, pushing and pulling the grass this way and that. A sudden silence befell the place as either side regarded each other. Blue decided now was a good time as any to voice his question. "If you don't mind my asking, why'd Alakazam's Psychic stop all of a sudden?"

Black's serious demeanor faltered for a moment as he considered the question. His face then broke into a wide, childish grin as he modestly scratched the back of his head. "Oh, that? See, Samurott and I had to think of countless ways to counter Psychic types back when we were on our journey. One of the methods we devised as something of a fake-out against new Psychic type opponents was to charge straight at them upon entry in order to expose and take advantage of the Psychic's fear of physical attacks. Most Pokemon of that typing can't handle attacks directly to their body, preferring instead to keep opponents at a distance and then snipe them off. So, I created a strategy that would turn an opponent's preference against them. To help keep up the pressure and prevent the Psychic attack—which takes about 1.4 seconds to activate after the order has been registered—from ever activating, I trained Samurott so that it could fire a small, concentrated, nearly unidentifiable Water Gun in that space of time in such a way that it would _hurt_."

Black's spellbound audience was nothing short of impressed. So this was the Unova native who was hailed in various other regions as "a trainer without peer." It was hard to believe that he'd only started his journey little over 3 years ago. Black opened his eyes, which had been closed earlier in his attempts to shut out the awkwardness he felt as he explained his own methods. The stunned silence confused him even further. Had he said something wrong? Blue suddenly remembered himself. "I'll be the first to admit that that is a pretty cool idea you got there," he said, closing his eyes and nodding sagely. "Probably something Red would do, in all honesty. However," he continued, opening his eyes, which Black saw were burning with defiance, "as a Gym Leader, I cannot just simply _allow_ you to win against me like that. Alakazam, Energy Ball en masse. Let's go!"

Black was confused. "En masse?" What did that mean? He got his answer not a moment later. With astonishing speed, Alakazam produced 8 green balls of energy that were all readied in the air next to it, waiting for the signal to let them loose. "Samurott," Black murmured, "be careful." His starter turned around and nodded at him reassuringly for a second before focusing on the fight once again.

"I remember now," shouted Blue. "Red used to have a knack for the unexpected; a flare for the dramatic. In an effort to surpass my rival, I too had to constantly surprise and outsmart him. This is one of the few tributes I've managed to create in his memory during my spare time. Surround yourself, Alakazam!" The Energy Balls hovered all around Alakazam, beginning to spin around it like a bizarre solar system. "In order to win against him, you needed to be 3 steps ahead for every 1 of the tricks he had up his sleeves. So let me show you: Alakazam, like we practiced!"

The satellites around Alakazam flew outwards even as they continued to orbit it, so that now, instead of resembling a solar system, it looked more like a rapidly expanding spiral galaxy with 8 arms. A drop of sweat made its way down the side of Black's face. It was difficult trying to judge the path of the fast approaching orbs. He couldn't just order Samurott to jump; that risked leaving it at the complete mercy of Alakazam's Psychic. With those Energy Balls flying at him like that, if he had his friend dodge the one coming straight at them, Alakazam could just easily blindside both of them by recalling one of the Energy Balls while Samurott's back was turned. _Grr. It looks like I have no other choice_ , thought Black. "Samurott," he said, giving his first verbal command since the start of the battle, "use Dig." The Formidable Pokemon didn't hesitate for a second as it dove under the ground, narrowly missing what would most likely have been a painful direct hit.

Without a word from Blue, Alakazam stopped its attack and instead focused on trying to predict where Samurott would next appear. Black actually contemplated using another one of his preplanned tricks before he realized who and where he was. He sighed in frustration; it wouldn't do for him to bust up Oak's yard like that. Now how to outsmart the glass cannon... He supposed he'd have to at least bust a few holes in the immaculate yard, first. "Samurott, resurface and then Dig again."

On the other side of the battlefield, Blue watched in confusion as Samurott continuously poked its head above ground before diving down again. What was going on?

"Now, Samurott!" shouted Black. "Blizzard! Deep chill that Alakazam!"

Black watched in triumph as his intention clicked in Blue's mind. "Protect!" A green hemisphere surrounded Alakazam as all around it, the grass began to freeze from the ferocious storm. Scott and Professor Oak began to shiver as small ice shards slowly formed in the latter's lemonade. When the snow and winds cleared, the arena had been completely frozen over, with only a small ring around Alakazam left untouched. Blue made a noise of frustration as he realized what Black had done. He'd used the whiteout created by the Blizzard to escape his self-induced trap. This was one wily opponent indeed.

But Black wasn't done with his legerdemains. "Razor Shell... the ice." The command took Blue completely by surprise. _Ice_? He looked down, and there, much to his shock, was ice. A Blizzard attack generating a field of ice in the brief time that he had just witnessed?...

"Thunderpunch!" If Blue was going down, then he was taking Black with him at the very least.

 _Wait, what?_ thought Black. _A Thunder_ —it was too late. Both attacks had collided, but neither side had chosen to acknowledge the damage done just yet. Samurott and Alakazam stood, backs to each other, both stuck in a pose that perfectly resembled a final exchange of blows between two swordsmen. Black swallowed loudly as another drop of sweat ran down his face. _5... 6... 7..._ A leaf from the tree near the river touched the water's surface as the 9th second passed. Finally, Alakazam gasped, collapsed onto the ground with a mundane finality, and moved no more. Samurott gave a small smile in relief before wincing hard at the pain of the Psi Pokemon's parting gift. For a member of a group that was notorious for being weak physically, it sure knew how to make a punch sting. "Thank you, Samurott," said Black as he approached his oldest friend. "Thanks to you, we are one step closer to helping someone out. Here. I know how much you love those Sinnoh poffins; dig in." Black produced a few small, pink cookie-like snacks from a case inside his backpack and handed them over to Samurott along with several Oran Berries, before turning over to Blue, who was helping his Alakazam stand up.

"How are you doing, Alakazam?" asked Blue.

"Ala," said Alakazam with a slight wince.

"Excuse me," said Black as he approached them. "Would you mind if I helped heal Alakazam? It is my fault, after all, that Alakazam is hurt in the first place." Blue and Alakazam continued to look up at him blankly. He hastened to reassure them, "Don't worry! I have an excess of medicine in my bag from traveling so much. Please? I'd feel less guilty if I did."

Blue finally decided it was time to stop making Black feel so uncomfortable. "Sure! I'd appreciate your help in all honesty."

Black eagerly set to work, digging around in his medicine bag for a Full Restore. After a few moments, he finally found one, pulling it out with a cry of triumph. He handed the medicine to Blue, who set to work spraying Alakazam with it, before taking off at full speed toward Professor Oak and Scott. The two of them had been watching the events play out with quiet amusement but quickly returned to reality upon seeing Black approach them. "Professor, I was wondering if you could help me switch out one of my Pokemon for Audino right now."

"Of course, Black," said Professor Oak, getting up. "I'll be right back in a jiffy!" Without even so much as looking, he snatched the Pokeball Black had handed him and took off. Several minutes passed before Professor Oak returned with Black's Audino's Pokeball. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, Professor," Black said as he hurried over to Blue and his Alakazam. "Alright, Audino, let us enact a battle of myths!" The pink rabbit-like Pokemon appeared with cry of its name. "Can you please use Heal Pulse on Alakazam?" Black's Pokemon nodded as a gentle series of pink waves washed over the tired Psychic type. Alakazam's face slowly relaxed as it felt its body repair itself. Eventually, it drifted off to sleep with a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Alakazam," said Blue. "You did well, being able to stand up to that demon trainer and all. Take a good long rest." Blue put away Alakazam's Pokeball before turning to Black. "That was a fun battle. You certainly do things in an interesting way. And, uh, thanks to you and Audino for fixing up my Alakazam afterwards. It was nice of you."

"No problem," replied Black. "It was the least I could do, considering I was the one who forced you and Alakazam into it. Thanks, Audino. Return." He put away Audino's Pokeball, before extending his hand out to Blue. "You nearly had me there a couple of times."

Blue chuckled. "Stop being modest. You knew you had me from the get-go just like in our Gym battle." He accepted Black's gesture of sportsmanship nonetheless and shook. Professor Oak and Scott had finally decided to join them, seeing as to how the battle was done and all.

"I'll say," said Scott. "That was quite an impressive battle there. Hm, hm. Blue, your Alakazam's something; being able to fire that many Energy Balls all at once and then finely controlling them is no small feat, mind."

"And that _Blizzard_ attack, oh my," shivered Professor Oak. "I don't know how much stronger Red's gotten, but I daresay you'd probably be prepared for whatever he throws at you, Black." The trainer awkwardly turned red at the compliment. "I tell you what. Why don't we go inside and have some breakfast? Think of it as my way of saying thank you for such a fantastic battle." The four of them made their way inside, where one of Professor Oak's assistants was already getting to work on breakfast. Within a few moments, they each had a Full English in front of them.

"So, Black," said Scott in between bites, "you wanna regale us with what some of your thought process was throughout the whole battle? Y'know, so the audience can understand it as well?" Scott snickered to himself at the last bit.

"I guess," said Black. He took a bite of the fried eggs and mushroom and chewed thoughtfully for a second before swallowing. "Well, first off, I have to hand it to you, Blue. That is one powerful Alakazam you have there."

"Likewise," replied the Gym Leader, stabbing a piece of sausage. "Your Samurott is something."

"Thanks," smiled Black. "I suppose I should start by simplifying the feint I had Samurott perform at the beginning. What Samurott and I had developed was essentially a fake-out that takes advantage of a Psychic type's generally weaker physical body in order to interrupt Psychic. You remember how you panicked when Samurott closed in, don't you, Blue?" Said trainer nodded in answer. It had left him feeling off-balance and doubtful. "I have no way to explain that Focus Blast... all I can say is I'm just glad Samurott deflected it like it did."

Professor Oak decided to speak up. "How long did it take you to get the Blizzard to that level? I'm absolutely _fascinated_ at how little exposure it took to freeze the grass from belowground."

Black sat back and stared at the ceiling nostalgically, having been the first to finish his meal. "Oh that. The Blizzard took me ages to perfect with Samurott; it involved a lot of time yelling and hollering at Lake Acuity in the Sinnoh region with the Snowpoint City Gym Leader." He turned to look at Professor Oak and beamed. "Eventually, though, we found just the right formula for freezing the entirety of the lake without blowing apart the ice we made."

None of the others were quite sure whether Black was joking or not. "And what was with you saying 'the ice' earlier?" asked Blue.

"Oh yeah, that. You see, I realized at the start of the battle that there was still some leftover water from the dew and lawncare. Obviously, cold dry air would simply kill the plants... However, with humidity, that picture changes. Normally, Samurott is slower than Alakazam. And, although I'd already discovered that I could outspeed you, Blue, if I found a way to surprise you first, I still couldn't risk the possibility of an attack being blocked. So I used the ice created by the Blizzard from earlier that was meant to let Samurott resurface safely in order to boost its speed. After all, there's less friction on ice, isn't there?"

By the time Black took a moment to pause, everyone had finished their breakfast and was making their way to the living room. "That's a remarkable specimen you have with you, Scott," joked Blue. "I'd love to stay and chat further but I have to get back to my gym. Arceus knows how badly things are going with the impromptu change in leadership. I'll see you all later. Take care, Gramps. Oh, and let me know of any progress you make on Red, alright? He's a tough one." He waved his hand behind him as he left the lab, took out a Pokeball, and called forth a Pidgeot. Together, the two of them took off for Viridian City, slowly becoming nothing more than specks on the horizon.

Professor Oak watched them for a moment, before closing the door and turning to Scott and Black, who had already taken a seat on the sofa. "Now then... shall we begin planning to bring Red back?"


	5. Chapter 4

_Locked rooms... a long hallway... soft weeping... pictures on the wall... circle... triangle... square..._

Black's eyes shot open as he realized a tear had fallen from his eye while he slept. He sat up and carefully wiped it off his cheek. Bringing it closer to his face, he examined the clear droplet with fascinated curiosity, trying to remember what his dream had been about. Oh. That was it. Red's mom. Black sighed, getting up. It was already Scott's tomorrow. He felt a presence appear next to his shoulder as he checked the time on his Xtransceiver (it happened to be 8:16 A.M.). "Hiya, Mew," said Black without turning around. From somewhere behind Black, the Legendary Pokemon giggled.

"Mew!" it cried. The small, pink Psychic type slowly came into view as it removed its invisibility. Swooping down upon Black's head, it snatched his hat before he could stop it, and playfully took off, laughing hysterically as it did so.

"Eh?" Black asked, confused. He patted around his suddenly free hair before he realized what was missing. "Mew!" He shouted. "Give me back my hat!" Trainer and Pokemon ran around the spot where Black had been sleeping for several minutes until the game abruptly ended when Mew flew face-first into a tree. With a small cry of pain, it fell. Black hurried forward and caught it in his arms before it could fall onto the dewy, morning grass. "Are you okay, silly thing?" He asked, chuckling.

"Mew mew," it replied, handing him his hat. It suddenly shot out of his arms and started to laugh some more before racing around his head. Black sighed in mock exasperation as he put on his hat again. He looked at the surrounding landscape, trying to get his bearings. Where was he again? Oh. Right. Professor Oak's lab, in his backyard, right next to the stream, underneath the tree that he'd observed the other day. It had become something of a habit for him to sleep outside whenever humanly possible. While he did sometimes enjoy the warmth and comfort of a regular bed, the freedom and sense of liberty that came with sleeping out in the open air with his Pokemon was something beyond compare. Plus, it was a much appreciated bonus for him in that he didn't have to play the social game. That thought had him wondering. _Did Red sleep in a tent on that frigid mountain or did he do it without anything in the cave like he did himself? If so, perhaps it was best if he spent a few nights ahead of time to prepare his body for the whole ordeal._

A gentle tug on his hair from Mew got his attention. He looked at it and smiled. "You're right, Mew. Let's go get ready to see Red's mom." The New Species Pokemon cheered as it raced after Black, who quickly pulled some Pecha Berries from his bag as he ran. He handed one to Mew who took it gratefully and, together, they snacked on their makeshift breakfast as they hurried toward the town market where Scott had told them to wait. As they reached the edges of townsfolk civilization, Black looked over at Mew, who nodded in understanding. Black watched in fascinated amusement as the Legendary slowly faded from sight, its invisibility leaving behind no trace of its existence save for the constant, reassuring presence Black felt at his side. "Alrighty then, Mew," muttered Black, more to himself than anything. "Ready to go meet the mother of the Kanto Champion, then?" All he received in reply was a slight pressure on top of his head where the invisible addressed had taken up residence.

It was something of a pain in the rear, having to walk through those roads as awkwardly as he did while people looked, murmured, and in some cases, even pointed at him. Black knew that the people of Pallet didn't mean to be rude; however, that did nothing to help suppress his urge to scram. He let out a sigh of relief when he finally arrived at the town market that Scott had pointed out to him the other day. Mew decided to go and have a look around, leaving Black to stand all alone. Needing something in his hands to mess with— _anything_ —he grabbed his Pokedex and started running through its contents. If he wasn't doing anything right now, he might as well prepare for his battle with Red. From the rumors he'd heard, Red had started off with a Charmander as his starter, before later adding a Pikachu to his signature team. According to what Professor Oak had told him yesterday, the trainer extraordinaire did indeed have all 150 Kanto region Pokemon at his disposal, despite using only 7 of them regularly. Black frowned in confusion. But what, then, of the Legendary Birds and, more importantly, Mewtwo? Red didn't seem like the type of person to just capture such an angry being and then entomb it inside of a Pokeball for life without first trying to help it. Not from the stories he'd heard, anyway...

A small tap on his shoulder brought Black back to reality. Scott was standing right behind him, grinning widely. Though Black couldn't see it, he somehow _knew_ that Mew was floating behind Scott, making all sorts of rude and silly faces at him. Just the mere thought of Mew trying to copy Scott's signature grin had him cracking up. "Hiya, Black?" Scott's cheery greeting ended in confusion—no doubt due to the fact that his friend had suddenly started to keel over and convulse in laughter. Several minutes passed before Scott's future Frontier Brain could pull himself together.

"Oh man," gasped Black, wiping a tear from his eye for the second time that day. "Sorry about that, Scott. I don't quite know what came over me there." That last part was, of course, a lie. But Scott didn't need to know that. Black got up a little tiredly as he grinned at Scott's perplexed face, while simultaneously ignoring the locals' reactions to this strange foreigner. "It's all good now."

"That's good," said Scott. "So. You ready for the next part?" Black nodded solemnly. "Okay then. Let's go."

Scott and Black stopped to look at each other when they had arrived at Hanako's front door again. Scott merely shrugged when Black said, "Allow me," and knocked twice on the door. The two of them tensed as they prepared to hit the deck, but there was no sign of commotion inside to suggest Hanako's approach. In fact, it was disturbingly silent. The door flew open just as Black was reaching his hand out to knock again, causing him to fly back at least a foot in shock. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard Mew cackling with mad glee.

"Oh. It's you two. Do, please, come in," said Hanako quietly. Both Scott and Black glanced at each other one last time before stepping through the door. Mew quickly moved to follow its friend as the door was closed behind them. "I'm sure you both must be famished, what with it being early in the morning and everything. It's been forever since I made breakfast for someone other than myself; please, let me play hostess for just a little bit."

Black cocked his head in confusion as Hanako set to work in her kitchen while he, Scott, and Mew went to the living room automatically. There was something different about her and the way she moved. Black put a finger to his lips and pulled on the bottom one in an extremely cliche fashion as he tried to figure out what it was about Hanako that had changed. Scott looked over at what Black was doing and shook his head. "I love it when you make that face, Black. Your eyes and head just fall back as if someone had jerked on them." He laughed and continued. "Honestly, you should try to get someone to hold up a mirror to you sometime; you'd enjoy it."

The Unova trainer turned beet red, shyly smiling as Mew fell over in the air, silently working itself into a hysterical fit of playful laughter that threatened to reveal its whereabouts. His smile lessened a fraction as Hanako walked in, not necessarily because of any hateful reason. He warily watched as Hanako made her way to the the couch opposite of theirs and sat down. Black turned to Scott for any ideas on how to start, but the owner of the Battle Frontier was facing Hanako, smiling pleasantly. Black carefully focused his attention on the area around Scott's eyes (or rather, where they _should_ be). There was an abundance of wrinkles around his eyes that disappeared when Scott stopped smiling and leaned forward about an inch. "Mrs. Hanako, before we begin, I would really like to offer my most heartfelt thanks for giving up so much of your time for us," said Scott.

Hanako nodded stoically. "It's also been an honor to have someone of such influence under my roof as well." Black paused for a second to reevaluate those words, adding them to his mental landscape in an effort to piece together what it was that had changed within Hanako. She shifted in her seat as she moved to push forward two plates to him and Scott. "Please. I understand it isn't much but I wanted to at least have the honor of treating you both to some breakfast."

Black looked down to examine his plate. Some creamed eggs on toast stared back at him, with a side of sausage and bacon. What he saw when he moved to thank Hanako shocked him: she was smiling warmly. All of the emotional scars written underneath her face seemed to loosen up for just a mere instant as she gave them her first real smile since meeting them. "It used to be Red's favorite before he left. I hope you'll enjoy yourselves a little." There was not a single bit of hesitation in her mention of Red, no slip in composure like the day before. Black's mind was already reeling when he observed the way she poured the three of them tea. In that instant, he realized what he and Scott had brought to the mother of the missing trainer—what it was she had forgotten so long ago: hope.

Scott didn't seem to register anything, instead opting to start up a merry hum as he helped himself to Red's favorite breakfast. Black decided to follow his lead and dug in. He pulled back a moment later to take in a breath. Hanako tilted her head to the side in confusion, and gave him a small smile. Black simply shook his head and went back to eating. This food... Black was by no means a connoisseur like Cilan and his siblings by any length, but he did consider himself a fine food enthusiast and amateur glutton. The meal that Hanako had served them had all the warmth and tastes that reminded him of his own mom's cooking. One might even venture to say it was made with the signature love and care of home. When the two had eaten their fill, Hanako handed them some napkins and tea to clean up. "Thank you for the breakfast, Mrs. Hanako," said Black. "It was delicious."

"Mhm. I'm glad you enjoyed it," she replied.

"Yes, that _was_ good." Scott patted his stomach in appreciation. He suddenly scooted up in his seat and faced Hanako. "But, Mrs. Hanako. I wanted to ask you again about the business of bringing Red back and helping him become a Frontier Brain... do we?..."

Hanako sat back and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I thought a lot about it yesterday," she began. "And I don't want to waste any more of your precious time than I have to." At this, she straightened her back, and moved her head to scrutinize Black and Scott. Her face suddenly hardened, taking on the stern, practiced coldness of a disapproving mother strengthened by her resolve. Black predicted her answer long before she said it. "I want you two to bring him back as quickly as possible... I-I give you my blessing. Please, bring Red back to me. It's been so long since I've last seen my little boy."

It was all Black could do to not choke on his tea as Mew finally revealed itself, pointing at its Trainer and guffawing loudly. Hanako flew out of her chair in shock while Scott passively looked at the coughing Black, smacking him once on the back _hard_. It took several moments for Mew and the commotion to all die down. Black wiped his drenched mouth off with a napkin as he tried his hardest to muster up an unnerving glare at his jocular (if innocent) Mew. The Legendary simply cocked its head at him in a gesture of mock curiosity. Black sighed. Why was it that whenever he needed the resting bitch face, it never showed? Mew moved to give him a sympathetic pat on the back as it tried to show that it at least understood _why_ he'd nearly died by tea in the first place. "Mew mew," it murmured.

Scott followed Mew's movements with ardent interest for a couple of seconds, having never seen the fabled Legendary before. "Say, Black, are you alright?" he asked, before turning to the still-standing Hanako. "It's alright to sit down again. I don't think Black's Mew is out to do us any harm." As if to affirm that statement, Mew rushed over to the surprised Hanako and began to affectionately rub its cheek against hers, rather like a feline.

The astonished lady quickly found herself felled, all while scratching the Legendary's head softly. Mew gave her a soft purr of approval and made itself at home on Hanako's lap. It cracked open one blue eye briefly to give Black a smug look. Its Trainer placed a hand over his heart as he feigned offense at the acts of mutiny against him. A few moments of tense silence passed while everyone (with the exception of Mew, who was snoozing contentedly without a care in the world) tried to figure out a smooth way to break it. At long last, Black decided to speak up, feeling responsible for the atmosphere in the first place. He cleared his throat before starting. "So, er... Mrs. Hanako. You're... giving us permission to try to recruit Red as a Frontier Brain then?"

Hanako continued to gently stroke Mew's head as if she hadn't heard the question, affectionately gazing at its tiny form as it slept peacefully. "Yes. Just, please, try to do so as quickly as possible; I do miss him so."

Scott nodded. "We've already worked out a plan with Professor Oak. If all goes well, he should be home in time for New Year's Eve."

Mew lifted its head in confusion when it noticed a sudden lack in wonderful sensations. Hanako had stared off into space again with a wistful look on her face. "Red... home... for New Year's... Yes, I do like the sound of that."

"Then I think it's time we departed and give you some time to rest," said Scott as he stood up. "It's been a pleasure knowing we could help you, Mrs. Hanako." He extended his hand in a gesture of concord, which Hanako obliged.

"Thank you for all that you've offered to do," she whispered quietly. She then turned to Black with a question in her eyes. "Would it be okay if?..."

He agreed to it before she had even voiced the request, this time certain that it was the right question he was predicting. "Of course. It's fine if Mew stayed behind a while longer; I usually let my closest friends roam around the area anyway. Besides," he added with a snicker, "this is the quietest I've ever seen it."

An indignant noise was barely heard as Black, Scott, and Hanako all burst into laughter at the joke. It was to be the first of many hearty exchanges in the house that had once only known pain.

* * *

 _3:00 P.M., That Same Day_

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" asked Professor Oak one last time.

"Positive," said Black from atop Zekrom. "I daresay I probably have too _much_." The small company that had gathered to see him off chuckled.

"Be careful up there, Black," said Scott, who gave him a thumbs up. The trainer nodded.

"Remember, if anything happens, make sure to get a Pokemon out to us immediately, alright?" asked Blue.

"Don't worry. If I fall off the mountainside, Mew will come a-running to you all like its life depended on it," Black replied with a grin. He scratched his nose, pondering the thought. "In fact, its life _would_ depend on it." He turned to Mew, who was floating right next to him and Zekrom, and told it half-jokingly, "So remember to use Teleport instead of Fly, okay?" Everyone burst into another round of boisterous laughter before finally calming down again. A strange sense of melancholy lingered in the air as no one knew quite what else to say.

"Good luck, Black." All heads turned to Hanako, who had whispered that blessing to the trainer. "And, please, stay safe for me. Won't you?"

Black was momentarily taken aback by how much she resembled his own mom in that single instant. He gave her a reassuring smile, and told himself that if he ever got out of this mess alive, he'd call and check up on his mother who was probably worried sick about him in Unova. "Yeah. I will," he said. "Well, everyone. Looks like this is goodbye for now." Zekrom's tail began to glow as it prepared to lift off. Scott, Professor Oak, Blue, and Hanako all took several steps back to give the Legendary Dragon some room to maneuver as it slowly levitated. Both trainer and Pokemon settled into the air for a second as blue electricity began to cloak them, before shooting off into the distant land of the setting sun, all to the unspoken best wishes of the new friends they had made in Kanto. Said new friends' hands never faltered for a second as they continued to wave at the vanishing duo, only stopping when they were certain that none of them could see the two anymore.


	6. Chapter 5

The sound of music caught Red's ears. He quickly rushed to the window in his cave and peered down. _Far_ down. There, sitting at the base of the summit's slope was the trainer that had appeared on that strange black dragon 5?... 6?... No, _7_ days ago. Yeah, he was certain it was 7; time was difficult on the mountains when one had neither watch nor care. His Pikachu rushed to stand by him on the windowsill, looking down below as well. The music seemed to strike a note within him as a sudden sense of nostalgia and homesickness washed over him. _Homesickness?_ Thought Red. _But... this_ is _my home. It has been for the past 4 years_. So why was he suddenly feeling—as the second melody of the song reached his ears, he realized what it was he had forgotten. Vivid recollections of a red-orange roof, an aged door, white fence, and a smiling, brown-haired woman radiating warmth and love flashed before his eyes. His mouth began to salivate heavily as his nose suddenly picked up on the phantom odor of eggs on bread. "Pallet Town," whispered Red. Pikachu looked up at him, cocking its head. Red shrugged it off and continued watching the trainer below him.

The teenager had built a small fire in front of himself, but he seemed to be completely oblivious to Red's presence. In fact, he seemed almost ignorant of the dangers he had put himself in. The wild Pokemon would be on him soon enough, what with all that music echoing off the mountains. Sure enough, some of the strongest pack leaders of the mountain began to sneak out of the entrances to Mt. Silver. Without so much as glancing around, the trainer went back to playing on his flute ( _flute?!)_ , this time choosing a piece that contrasted heavily with the previous song's 3/4 beat. Both still retained the aura of pensive nostalgia about them. However, this one sounded like it belonged in a more tribal, island-like setting. Red tilted his head in confusion. Where'd that thought come from?

"Pika!" said Pikachu, pointing at the mountain Pokemon. Red groaned internally. He couldn't just stand by and watch as someone was viciously attacked in front of him now, could he? But, before he could move, a black-and-blue streak slammed into the snowy earth below, causing the whole of Mt. Silver to shiver. Several of the smaller honchos of the mountain scurried away at the new arrival's landing, while some of the larger ones, like Ursaring, merely tensed up and stepped back a ways. When the cloud of debris cleared, Red saw that it was the same dragon from last week as well. As the song approached its climax, the dragon lifted its head and roared. The noise easily overpowered the haunting music, whispering its way around the mountain like some raging spirit's demented ravings. An empty vacuum remained in the air even after the roar's echo had ceased. With a start, Red realized that the music had stopped. He said nothing as he watched the dragon's partner put away his flute into a bag and stand up.

The trainer turned around, holding his palm out toward the mountain's faction leaders, and said something that was too quiet to reach Red's ears. It appeared to be an order, as the tail of the trainer's Pokemon began to glow a moment later. The familiar humming could be heard as the area around it grew dark in comparison to the pulsating blue light that was emanating from its tail. Red shielded his eyes as a blinding flash struck the mountainside. His hair stood on end, practically hissing in response to whatever it was that had hit Mt. Silver. A loud boom soon followed, causing his ears to pop as he realized just what it was that the stranger had ordered his Pokemon to do. The smell of ozone wafted through the air as Red's mind automatically reconstructed the original order: _Use Thunder on yourself to scare off the Pokemon._ Sure enough, when Red opened his eyes again a moment later, all of the mountain dwellers that had surrounded the trainer had disappeared. Red continued to observe the trainer in slight curiosity, his interest piqued at the power and bond he had sensed behind the Thunder attack. However, nothing eventful occurred for the rest of the afternoon as the stranger and his companion remained in that same spot, watching the sun set before getting ready for bed. Red sighed, getting ready to leave. Before he had turned his back to the window completely, though, he managed to get a glimpse of something that stirred a feeling of amusement within him. _He also sleeps without a tent_ , thought Red. _Merely a blanket and his close companions to keep him warm._

By the time the Sun rose again, marking the 8th day since the stranger's first appearance on Mt. Silver, he was already long gone.

* * *

Black was beginning to understand why people were so frightened by the name of Mt. Silver. It wasn't the level of the various Pokemon within it that was bothersome, necessarily, no not at all. On the contrary, it would have been almost _too_ easy to mow down his opposition one-on-one. It was when the Pokemon swarmed together in whole hordes that the scaling of the mountain became difficult (which was to say almost immediately). It was all Black could do to call out attacks fast enough, as wave after wave of Golbat furiously charged at him. "Samurott, use Surf!" There was literally no time for nonverbal commands; the terrible armies of disposable minions replaced each other almost as quickly as they fell. Even as Samurott's Surf cleansed the area of any remaining Golbat, new challenges had already begun to show themselves.

Black groaned internally as he realized that the social game humans played did not extend to feral lands such as Mt. Silver. If he wanted to see his mission through to the end, he'd have to discard the notion of fair play, just like the Pokemon that fought for their very survival on this mountain. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out 4 more Pokeballs as he hurried to Samurott's aid. "Hydreigon, Dragonite, Metagross, Lucario: Let us enact a battle of myths!" Black heard his Samurott give a sigh of relief as it retreated behind the cover of its 4 friends.

"Metagross, Protect; Hydreigon, Tri Attack; Dragonite, Ice Beam; Lucario, Aura Spheres and Dragon Pulses, let's go!" By the time Black and his team found their way outside to a safe spot, the sun had already begun setting, and they hadn't even so much as had lunch yet. He never doubted the ferocity of Mt. Silver's Pokemon again.

* * *

Black finally found himself adjusting to life on Mt. Silver after 3 weeks had passed. Each Thursday evening, he would reappear in the same spot he had the first week in order to serenade Red (though he knew that Red didn't know that he knew he was there), all the while maintaining the facade of a starry-eyed nature enthusiast who just happened to enjoy playing music on a forbidden mountain during sunsets. The wild ambushes while he did this gradually ceased as Black's presence on the mountain began to assert itself. He eventually gave up on keeping his Pokemon confined within their Pokeballs altogether, opting instead to keep them out 24/7 in case of an impromptu challenge from one of the mountain's dumbers. In all honesty, it was something of a luxury, being able to let _all_ of his team run free and do whatever they pleased. It helped them develop an even deeper bond than what was previously known, and it kept Black company during his miserable stay there.

"Aw, the fancy food's all gone," whined Black one night. He was already sad enough as it were: he hadn't been able to get so much as a breath of fine cheeses since that second Thursday as he'd had to devour it all before they spoiled. Now, the last of the "fancy" (common) food had vanished, which left him with only 3 options: eat the wild Pokemon that attacked them (his stomach lurched violently as if to demand the thought to perish), eat the salted meats and berries he'd stored for this occasion, or leave Mt. Silver and all his hard work adapting to it behind and go find more supplies. It was a unanimous vote between stomach, brain, and ego.

* * *

By the 5th week, Black had quickly grown bored of holding back and decided now was as good as ever of a time to let loose hell on Earth (if only briefly). It was to be his first test run of the majority of Mt. Silver. "Thank you, everyone." He recalled his confused Samurott, Hydreigon, Dragonite, Lucario, and Metagross as the astonished mountain Pokemon looked on. Pulling out his 6th Pokeball, he held it up to his lips for a second in an almost reverential manner before throwing it. "Zekrom, a stage worthy of you has been set! Draco Meteor!" They kept repeating that attack for the next hour, ravaging the opposition and almost making a sport out of it as they climbed toward the summit of Mt. Silver, only pausing when they were 2 floors from where Red lay in wait. Black laughed with relief as he and Zekrom sat down in a dark corner for a moment, hiding from the vengeful Pokemon.

"Here you go, Zekrom," said Black, handing his partner a mix of berries. "That was pretty impressive, considering how much power it takes to use Draco Meteor." The dragon nodded quietly in thanks as it nibbled on the multi-flavored fruits. "You'd better rest up," he continued. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow." Zekrom nodded solemnly, before disappearing inside its Pokeball. Black poked his head out from behind the humongous indent in the cave wall, looking this way and that to make sure the coast was clear, before retreating back inside. He closed his eyes and focused, waiting for a response.

"Mew?" said a voice.

"Ah! Mew!" said Black telepathically. It seemed the idea of the sixth sense really wasn't wrong after all. "Could you Teleport to my current location? I'm on Mt. Silver, 2 floors below the summit, behind an indent in the wall."

" _Mew_ ," Mew replied. A flash of light and a tug on Black's hair caused him to open his eyes. He could vaguely make out the outline of the mischievous Legendary Pokemon from the pitch darkness. Despite how unintentionally rude the playful Pokemon could be sometimes, Black couldn't help but smile at it.

"Here you go, Mew. Could you take this note to Professor Oak in Pallet Town?" He handed Mew a folded piece of paper, which it took from him curiously. Mew unfolded it using Psychic and glanced at the jumble of letters. It read very simply:

 _Challenging Red tomorrow on Friday._

 _-Black_

Mew obviously couldn't understand a word of it, but it nodded nonetheless. Refolding the paper back into a small square using Psychic, it gave Black a solemn salute before Teleporting. Black grinned at the empty air. That little rascal.

* * *

Black woke up extra early that Friday morning, entering Mt. Silver even as the twinkling stars were still winking at him. His Samurott was the first to respond to the wooden _crunch_ of his feet on snow. It yawned widely, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs, before following its trainer and friend without so much as a word spoken between them. Black's Lucario soon followed suit, unconsciously sensing the duo's aura move. It got up and jogged to a stop behind Samurott. Metagross's eyes opened as the train of three slowly got farther and farther away. It blinked one last time and turned around to the two peacefully dozing dragons. It gently prodded them, nodding toward the cave entrance where their trainer and fellow Pokemon had silently marched off to. Hydreigon and Dragonite stood up and stretched before calmly flying after the rest of their party, leaving Metagross to faithfully levitate in the rear.

The procession came to a halt at the end of the black tunnel. Beyond the gaping maw of the hallway's end was the beginning of something new. They had been training for this for 5 weeks. Admittedly not as long as Red, but Black knew that his team could do it. He turned to them silently, stony face out and burning holes through each and every Pokemon's soul. He relaxed the serious look for a moment, giving them all a warm smile by the light of the fading moon. Reaching into his bag, Black pulled out some Old Gateau, berries, and Moo-Moo Milk, which he'd been having Samurott help keep frozen for the past 35 days. He passed out the equally divided portions to each of his friends before scarfing down his share. To finish off their _totally_ nutritious breakfast, Black gave each of his nearest and dearest a whole jar of Honey. The sweet, amber treat left everyone's hands and mouths feeling sticky. To help amend the problem, Samurott and Dragonite both used Surf several times to help wash off the residue, before stepping aside for Hydreigon to use Flamethrower as it worked to dry everyone off. With their stomachs full and bodies slightly warmer than before, Black and his team turned to face the shimmering end of the corridor that led to the caverns of Mt. Silver. A slight pressure on his head alerted Black to the presence of his Mew as, together as one, he and his family began their arduous journey to reach the true Kan-Joh Champion.

"Metagross, use Light Screen and Reflect. Dragonite, stop their attacks with Surf. Lucario, cover everyone with Protect. Hydreigon, find the big ones and take them out with Tri Attack. Samurott, finish off the survivors with Scald." Black's change in disposition and mindset could be felt by all of his Pokemon. What was once the caring family patriarch of the team that had earned the title of "Peerless Terror" had now assumed the role of calculating general as he masterminded his troops' way to victory. While his Pokemon worked as extensions of his mind and will, carrying out the moves he'd ordered them to, Black became wholeheartedly devoted to serving as their eyes, ears, and brain, never ceasing in his thoughts as he assessed the current situation, formulated a myriad of possible routes, and then chose the predicted _best_ course of action for him and his army to take. His eyes would detect, his ears would pick up, and he would have to make a split second decision lest his closest suffer for it. "Lucario, see that beast of a Steelix over there? Extremespeed over there and Force Palm it at 5 o'clock with all your might. Metagross, Psychic the smaller swarms into the blast. Samurott and Hydreigon, I'm trusting you two to cover us. Dragonite, clear the way with Hyper Beam and then get behind the two."

On and on the Blitz of Mt. Silver continued as Hell poured forth its vast armies in an attempt to stop the Frontier warlord from achieving his goals. Slowly— _painstakingly_ —, Black and his team made their grueling way up the innards of Mt. Silver, their only reprieve being the ancient stairs that led up to the next floor. And, even then they always had to be on the alert in case something was hurled down at them. Black's life flashed before his eyes _x_ -times too many that day, each time the only thing that saved him from the doom of becoming the next Headless Horseman was Mew. The little Psychic type, despite its ludic nature, cared deeply for the new friend it had made, and its actions reflected that sentiment. Though it tended to avoid directly fighting, Mew never hesitated to block or redirect an attack when a momentary lapse in its comrades' attention would have costed them their beloved central processing unit. And Arceus deliver anyone who ever had to force Mew's hand like that, for it was a terrifying sight to behold the cat-like Legendary unleash Zap Cannon after Zap Cannon and see them _all_ connect.

At long last, the "Peerless Terrors" were on the final floor that stood between them and Red. Without even looking, Black could have guessed that this would be their most difficult challenge. He looked at his Xtransceiver, wondering what time of the day it would be that he failed— _no_ , he couldn't think like that. It was almost noon. A Cheshire grin suddenly split across his face. Just in time for lunch...

A Tyranitar and Hariyama, several Weavile, a herd of Ursaring, 2 Quagsires, 10 Mismagii, and an innumerable quantity of Golbat faced them. From out of the corner of his eye, Black noticed an Absol and Bronzong flank them, quietly watching. His mind quickly split into two layers again: the upper, sensing half focused on what stood before him, carefully keeping a close eye on anything that might happen, while the lower, intuitive side began to visualize and hypothesize realities, questioning relentlessly as it tried to find an answer to everything that _could_ happen. A tense silence settled between the two sides as they stared each other off. Even Mew took part in the glaring, having opted to forgo invisibility long ago. Then something happened.

To this day, Black remained unsure of which side did it. Who threw the first shot. But he knew that the phrase "shot heard around the world" would never sufficiently capture the full effect of that moment.

Just as the contest of wills between mountain Pokemon and their more domesticated counterparts reached a fever pitch, an explosion occurred. Neither side hesitated for a moment as they rushed to defend their positions. "Protect!" roared Black. "Lucario, Extremespeed that Tyranitar and shift gears into Close Combat followed by an Aura Sphere. Whatever—just _engage_ that thing! Samurott, cover the withdrawal with Blizzard. Dragonite and Hydreigon, get behind Metagross's Protect and use Dragonbreath!" Black's Pokemon heard the urgency in his voice and responded accordingly.

Lucario suddenly disappeared and reappeared instantaneously the next moment beside Tyranitar, who was shocked into stopping its Hyper Beam. The Fighting/Steel type immediately began to pummel its far larger opponent, spinning around in circles as it alternated between fists and roundhouse kicks. If the situation weren't so dire and stressful, Black might have been moved enough to call it beautiful. With a final somersault kick, Lucario retreated a safe distance from Tyranitar before charging a small, blue orb in between its palms. It let it loose, not even bothering to stay behind and watch the giant crumble.

Samurott saw that its partner was returning and quickly started to call up a Blizzard. Opening its mouth wide, it bellowed loudly, stunning everyone into immobility as they gazed upon it in gobsmacked reverence. Several small white rings surrounded Samurott as it charged up the Blizzard attack. The ground around it started to become frosty as the temperature took a plummet. It got to the point where Black, who was at least 10 feet behind Samurott, could see his own rapid breaths. Mt. Silver's Pokemon scurried to find a way to shield themselves from what would obviously be a potent attack. However, their efforts were all in vain as the Blizzard's charge finished. With a second, louder and more intimidating roar, Black's first Pokemon released its hold on the raging snowstorm, clouding everyone's vision in wintery white. The entire cavern suddenly became covered in a layer of ice as the snow and winds flew in a frenzy. The Golbat were all completely crushed, done in by the deep freeze. Hariyama held out its hands, trying to shield itself from the worst of the blast to no avail. Even the other Pokemon, such as Ursaring and Weavile, which weren't normally affected by snow had to take cover, for the strong winds that had been unleashed were still more than capable of hurting them. Black noticed the manner in which the winter storm was blowing and he decided to play it to his advantage.

"Lucario, make a circuit around Samurott with a circumference of 10 feet before charging into the center of that Ursaring herd. Close Combat. Hydreigon, I want you to go and assist it, giving support fire with Tri Attack." The tailwind provided by the Blizzard would allow them to practically blindside the huddling Pokemon.

Out of the corner of his eye, Black noticed a Gyro Ball from Bronzong coming toward Samurott. Before he could so much as turn to utter a warning, Dragonite had already stepped up and intercepted the attack with a Fire Punch. Black's mind ground to a complete halt for a second as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Mew's incessant tugging on his hair got his attention. "Thanks, Mew." The Psychic type remained silent as it intercepted an Ursaring's Focus Blast and then proceeded to retaliate.

Metagross had remained stationary the whole time as it continued to observe the battlefield, occasionally providing either support fire or cover as the situation arose. It was constantly replenishing its allies' supply of Reflects and Light Screens in an effort to minimize damage. However, its attention was diverted from the main fray when the previously-quiet Absol decided now was a good time as any to charge. It frantically hurried to switch gears and use Protect on itself. Black turned to his left at the explosion and saw his Steel type engage the Absol. "Metagross, ignore the attacks and use Swift to knock it out of the air. Find its landing spot and get over there with a Bullet Punch on one arm followed by a Break Break for when it's incapacitated." The star-shaped projectiles hit true, canceling the Absol's Hyper Beam as it felt the sting of the pseudo-Legendary. A shadow loomed over Absol as Metagross hovered above it for a brief, shining moment before knocking the wind out of its lungs with a Bullet Punch. The shocked Pokemon didn't even get a chance to be sent flying as a second fist collided with its back. Black recalled Metagross back inside its Pokeball before sending it back out immediately, this time closer than where it had been forced to move when in the brief skirmish with Absol.

Slowly but surely the flow of opponents began to dwindle, until, at last, it was only Black's team against the Hariyama. Admittedly, they had the numbers advantage against it, but the hulking tank looked like it hadn't suffered much, if any, damage up until this point. Black briefly considered giving his team a break and calling forth Zekrom to finish the battle. However, he banished the thought upon seeing the look of burning determination in his teammates' eyes. His heart swelled with pride as he smiled back at them, overcome with the honor of having had the humbling experience of growing and fighting side by side with them. He nodded in affirmation. "Okay then. You all win; whether victory or loss, it'll be by our own merits." He turned to the Hariyama, which had been patiently waiting the whole time. "My friends, a worthy stage for us has been set. Let us finish what we started!"

Hariyama charged, despite the fact that both sides knew it was outclassed. Black was rather surprised as the Hariyama maintained two punch attacks simultaneously while charging: Dynamic and Focus Punch. "Metagross, use Psychic and stop Hariyama's advance. Hydreigon, Acrobatics." Said Pokemon answered their Trainer's orders with silence as both prepared their respective attacks. Metagross's eyes glowed blue as it activated the attack that gave the Psychic types its name. Hariyama stopped moving completely as it fell to Metagross's mental grip. With an almost reluctant flap of its wings, Hydreigon moved to quickly dispatch of the helpless Fighting type. Black blinked once out of habit, not bothering in the attempt to keep up with his dragon's speed. He reopened his eyes as Hariyama gratefully collapsed, with Hydreigon appearing to have remained in the same spot. Of course, the reality was that Hydreigon had moved so fast that it had attacked and then returned to its original starting point, all within the blink of an eye.

Black and his team remained in their warmonger mindsets for a second, not quite ready to believe what they saw. When Fate made no further move to tempt them, though, they all collapsed in exhaustion. Black and his team panted loudly in exhaustion, worked to the bone. When Black tried to open his buzzing eyes, the feedback he received from them forced him to shut them again. Slowly, the adrenaline rush died down, leaving him and his Pokemon to finally register the pain of their various injuries. Black's head was pounding in anger at the abuse it had suffered, which he scoffed at. This was nothing compared to what his Pokemon were probably suffering through. With eyes still closed, he felt his way around his bag for the Full Restores he always kept an excess of. "Aha!" he exclaimed. Pulling it out, he waved it triumphantly into the air before scooting over blindly to the nearest Pokemon. "Here, hold out your hand," he said to it. A cold, metallic surface met his touch. "Ah, Metagross. You did a good job protecting everyone, buddy. Thanks to you, the damage we would have suffered was lessened. Thank you." He heard the Steel type sigh in relief as the medicine began to work its magic.

"You all just stay still," he whispered quietly. "I'll come to you." There was no protest at this, as all of Black's Pokemon were too tired to even pay attention to his commands at this point. One by one, he applied the Full Restores, trying to help ease their suffering, until that task was finished. Black cautiously opened one eye, testing to see if his brain would start bugging out like it had earlier. When nothing happened, he cautiously opened the other. Black sighed in relief and sat back when, once again, nothing happened. He decided to get up and observe the cemetery of sweat and tears as there was little else to do while his Pokemon rested. _Wait, rested?_ Black smacked his head in embarrassment as he turned around to his woozy team. "Everyone, go ahead and use Rest. We have plenty of time to get to Red." His Pokemon didn't hesitate for an instant, knowing that Black would be safe under the ever-present and watchful eyes of Mew and Zekrom. Black recalled the five sleeping Pokemon, and pulled out the sixth Pokeball from his belt.

"Zekrom, watch over me," he said. Zekrom appeared and immediately took to a shaded corner, blending in completely with the surrounding darkness. Mew, meanwhile, went back to being invisible as it decided to float around. Black turned his head this way and that as he walked all around the vast, cerulean cavern. Small crystals in the ground made it possible to see within the otherwise-night-pitch cave. All around him lay the massacred mountain Pokemon, resting in an effort to regain their strength. He felt a small pang of guilt wash over him. Despite the fact that they were the ones who had initially tried to stop him, he couldn't help but feel a little responsible for their pain. He turned to Mew to voice his request. "Is there any way for you to heal them? Anything?"

Black was initially confused when all Mew did was start waving its paws left and right repeatedly in response to his plea. However, when he heard the soft chanting of " _Mew, mew, mew, mew_ ," Mew's actions finally clicked. "Metronome," he gasped. Several seconds passed by as Mew continued to whisper its name until a full minute had gone by. With a dramatic little bounce, Mew's paws stopped moving as a gentle periwinkle glow appeared from their tips. Metronome had decided a move, leaving Black to pray it was the right one.

A burst of light filled the frozen core of Mt. Silver as a rainbow colored light spread from Mew's form, manifesting to the naked eye as waves. The energy undulated all the way out to the edges of the cavern and then some as the whole entire mountain was bathed in the Heal Pulse. Black called forth the rest of his team once again as they quietly snoozed. He watched for their reactions to the powerful Psychic move as it washed over them. He got his reply not a moment later: every one of his Pokemons' features became more relaxed as they slipped into even deeper sleep. Gradually, the light from the Heal Pulse faded as Mew expended the rest of its energy. Black looked worriedly at it, but all it did was give him a small smile before coming over. Black recalled his sleeping team, before reaching into his bag for a Sitrus Berry, and handing it to the tired Legendary. "On behalf of everyone here today: Thank you, Mew." Mew smiled up at him, before snatching his hat and taking off. Black grinned in response to the age-old joke. Behind him, Zekrom gave a low rumble.

Black snapped his head around, ready for action. Above him, Mew prepared to Teleport them to Zekrom's side. All around them, the defeated Pokemon were stirring as the effects of the Heal Pulse began to kick in. The previously-felled Tyranitar was the first to rise as it looked around at the Poke-foughten field. Black nervously shifted his weight from his left foot to his right foot while he watched the Armor Pokemon examine its surroundings. The slight movement caught the pseudo-Legendary's eye; it turned its gaze on Black, who was suddenly Teleported to Zekrom's side. Trainer and Pokemon sized each other up, neither one budging an inch as their opponent stared them down. _One second has passed... two seconds... three..._ It was the longest 30 seconds Black had ever been forced to live through. Finally, the Tyranitar's head shifted downwards about 20 degrees as it slowly withdrew, peacefully leaving the scene. The rest of the recovering Pokemon followed its example, slowly emptying out of the chamber until only Black, Zekrom, and Mew remained. The three let out a collective breath. Black slumped down to a crouch at Zekrom's feet, checking the time. _Arceus Almighty!_ His Xtransceiver mockingly looked back at him, with the time 3:00 P.M. staring him in the face.

Guess it was time for lunch.


	7. Chapter 6

Red was thoroughly impressed. He'd set off from the summit of Mt. Silver in search of a wild Pokemon battle to train his team with, only to be met with bitter empty handedness. Nothing flew, fired, flayed, or any other _F_ word-ed at his team. At first, he'd been incredibly confused. Even the Tyranitar, Hariyama, Bronzong, and Absol which normally provided him and his team with the greatest of labors hadn't appeared. He suddenly remembered all of the rumbling and shaking he'd heard earlier in the day. He'd completely ignored it at the time, thinking it was only just Mt. Silver's Pokemon cleaning out the trash again. But to think that _this_ had been the source of the commotion. Red looked around in disbelief at the sight before him and his team. Massive craters, a 5 cm thick layer of ice, several Pokemon-shaped indentations in the ground, and other battle debris lay strewn around the chamber that stood between challengers and him. It looked as if an army had marched through.

Mewtwo's voice spoke in his head. _If only you were able to realize the irony in that statement_.

 _Explain_ , Red demanded. But all he received in reply was silence. He sighed inwardly, and continued to examine the venerable, ancient battlefield from his vantage point atop the stairs to the summit. Deciding that today was not going to yield any worthwhile opponents, he turned to go return to the peak of Mt. Silver again, not even realizing for a second just how _wrong_ he was.

* * *

 _He dreamed a dream... The Enigma Atop the Silver Mountain had descended, just for a moment, and had seen the results of the day's siege. For the first time in a long time, he'd been genuinely shocked out of his blase face as he regarded the wasteland. Then he'd disappeared right back up from whence he came. Haha, what a silly dream~ As if the Kanto Champion could ever be surprised about anything._

Black was shaken awake by his Zekrom just as his dreams started to shift. He rubbed his head, wincing at just how much it hurt. Geezes, he couldn't wait to return to a normal bed and pillow. Forget what he'd said about sleeping outdoors; rocks sucked. Zekrom made a rumbling noise in its throat. Black looked up at it. "Hm? Check the time?" He instinctively held up his wrist and did as the dragon had told him to. 4:58 P.M. A string of unsavory curses ran through Black's mind as he realized he was almost late to his appointment. "Thanks, Zekrom," he said as he threw the remaining Pokeballs into the air. His team slowly opened their eyes as they realized where they were and what time it was. Each Pokemon stretched slowly, cracking several stiff bones as they savored the luxury of complete recovery. Black faced his team, all 6 Pokemon and Mew. "Okay, everyone. Within a minute's time, we'll be facing arguably our greatest challenge yet. I just want to thank you all for being such great friends—no, _family_ to me. Now, let's go bring a Champion home!" His team cheered its approval as he recalled them all into their Pokeballs. Black turned toward the dark flight of stairs. They somehow looked rather daunting now that he was without any company. A light smack on the back of his head from the free-range Mew quickly shot that thought down. He did have someone behind him... No, not just one. A plethora of people. Professor Oak, Scott, Blue, Hanako, Professor Juniper, Cheren, Bianca, his mom... N. All of them were with him in spirit, supporting him. And now was the time for him to repay them back.

He ascended the stairs, the faint lake green light emitted by the crystals in the rocks turning the experience into more of a surreal one than was necessary. His footsteps echoed loudly in the closed corridor that seemed to go on without end. Black was just pulling out his water bottle for a drink when he saw light up ahead. He paused to take a swig, wiping his mouth on his sleeve when he'd finished before taking a deep breath. Now or nothing. It was time to enact a battle of myths.

Black walked up the remaining amount of stairs and passed through the threshold of the cavern. The cerulean lighting of the interior of the summit surprised him. It was a stark contrast to first the cobalt blue of the floor below them and then the lake green of the stairs. Black continued his examination of the place, approving of it more and more. The floor was incredibly flat and even, with no rocks jutting out of the ground. This meant no shelter from any omni-directional attacks. He stored that in his mind for later. A single, small opening in the mountainside at approximately 2 o'clock was the only thing that served as a reminder of the outside world. Black realized with a start that that was the artificial window from which he had first discovered Red. Which meant that everything that had occurred was thanks to it. He smiled warmly at the thought for several instants, before turning to face the far side of the room again.

Sure enough, standing before him as silently as the rumors about him had so claimed, was the Kanto Champion, Red. The teenager before him couldn't have been more than his age, with pale brown hair, astonishingly crimson eyes, and a slightly gaunt face (from what could be seen of it, anyway). On his head rested a red and white cap, which shielded much of his facial features. A tattered, red, sleeveless jacket with a white stripe and collar hugged his surprisingly well-built form, carefully concealing the black undershirt he wore below. The baggy, blue jeans he wore were ripped from countless experiences, past and present, leading down to equally battered red, black, and white running shoes. The yellow backpack Black had heard about had mysteriously disappeared, for some odd reason or other.

"..." Red said nothing as he pulled his hat down closer to his eyes, peering at his opponent from beneath the cover of darkness. Though he couldn't see them, Black knew full well that Red's Pokemon were around the area somewhere, watching over them. He felt the intensity of Red's gaze as the buried myth stood there silently, waiting. Black nodded in understanding, pulling out his first Pokemon. He held it out in front of him, palm facing the ceiling in a gesture of invitation. A Pikachu—no, _the_ Pikachu—charged out from nowhere and scurried up to its favorite spot in all the world: Red's shoulder. Red continued to look at the mysterious "nature enthusiast" who had been hanging around Mt. Silver for the past 5 weeks, and nodded. Black's lips curled into a small smile for a brief moment as he drew his hand back, before turning into that intense death glare that had unsettled Red the first time they'd met.

"..." Following Red's example, Black didn't say a word as he called out his first Pokemon. _A stage worthy of you has been set, my friend. Let us fight well, and enact a titanic battle of myths_ , he whispered mentally, knowing that the intuitive bond shared between him and his Pokemon was strong enough that they would all know what he thought. This meant he'd be able to give them wordless orders like this, which would allow a level playing field against Red. Most excellent.

"Samur!" cried Black's first choice. Black noticed Red falter for a second, confused. Though he'd never seen Samurott's kind before, he could obviously tell it was a Water type due to its build. And, of course, Black knew that Red always led with Pikachu. However, this was all part of the plan to win Red over. He quietly hurt for his faithful starter as he realized what it would have to endure in order for the objective to be met.

Red's eyes turned to Pikachu, motioning to the battlefield before them, noiselessly choosing it. The Pikachu leaped from Red's shoulder and landed some 15 feet away from its original starting point. Red held out his hand to Black, giving him the first move.

Like it had been doing all day, Black's mind split into 2 layers as it entered a more focused mindset. _Swords Dance_ , thought Black. Samurott started to move in place, waving its arms around and about as it upped its attack power. Professor Oak and Scott had been very clear about battling with Red: no moves were to be wasted, not an instant spared. Scout first, retreat, and _then_ attack. Red's eyes gave nothing away as his Pikachu began to race around the field, gradually becoming nothing more than a yellow blur as Agility pushed its speed stat to the very limits. _Focus Energy indefinitely until I tell you to move otherwise._

Samurott closed its eyes, concentrating. Black knew exactly what Red was seeing and thinking—the way his left index finger twitched just the slightest bit at the sight of the Water type closing its eyes said as much. Red thought that, like countless trainers before him, Samurott was "trusting" Black to be his eyes and ears as it focused more on not making mistakes than trying to follow Pikachu. And that's where he was wrong. Red's Pikachu switched modes impossibly fast as it went from abusing the power of Agility to charging forward with a small Quick Attack. It was almost like a flash of light zooming through the room. But, unfortunately for Red, light was meant to be reflected by mirrors.

 _Two seconds and you'll be able to slam it to the right with Knock Off_. It was exactly as predicted: Pikachu was sent flying with a cry of pain as the Swords Dance enhanced Knock Off hit true. From the sound of the resulting impact, Black would have said it was a critical hit, too. Impressively enough, though, Pikachu was still up when the dust settled. Its fur was bristling in agitation as both it and Red realized just how redoubtable of an opponent Black and his Samurott truly were. Both Pokemon paced the ground, sizing each other up once again. This time, Samurott made the first move as it spewed forth an Icy Wind. The glittery blue wind enveloped the entire area, doing even less damage than normal to Pikachu on account of the fact that it was more widespread. However, it had the desired effect. Pikachu slowed down considerably at the hands of the weak Ice attack. Though it would never make up for the amount of speed buffing Pikachu had gained using those Agilities, it at least gave Samurott's eyes a fighting chance. As if sensing Black's thoughts, Pikachu closed the distance between it and Samurott as it swung an Iron Tail around at the Water type. Black made the split-second decision then and there to initiate an actual, powerful attack. And, in order to do that, he'd have to take a huge risk, one with potentially game-changing consequences.

 _Hit the ground and use Rain Dance_. The steely gray wrath of Pikachu's Iron Tail missed Samurott's head by mere inches as the Formidable Pokemon dropped all of its weight on the ground. An orb of white formed in front of Samurott's mouth. It shot it straight at the landing Pikachu, who gave a shout of surprise. Of course, it didn't suffer any damage. But it would soon. As storm clouds began to circle around Pikachu, blocking the confused mouse from sight, Black gave Samurott a second order.

 _Get in close and use Ice Beam._ The white mist began to darken as it slowly transformed into rain clouds. They would have only a few seconds to pull the blindside off before their cover vanished. Pikachu moved its head back and forth warily, unable to rely upon Red to help it see. Samurott took that opportunity to appear from behind it and fire an Ice Beam. The Electric type turned to face its opponent... but it was already too late. The Ice Beam attack hit home, right on Pikachu's chest. Pikachu gave another cry, this one of pain, as the clouds rose, revealing the battlefield.

Pikachu was still up, though it had been forced onto all fours by the force of the attack. Samurott, meanwhile, had retreated, using Aqua Jet as a means of fast escape. All around them, rain poured down in sheets, reducing the visibility to the barest minimum. At least, for the non aquatic lifeforms. _Can you still see_? asked Black. The yes he'd been expecting made his spirits soar, if only by little. Trainer and Pokemon looked on as a yellow glow in the distance became brighter. _Here comes Thunder_ , warned Black. Of course, Red would take advantage of the increased accuracy of the attack in rainy weather. He'd been expecting as much when he'd ordered Rain Dance. Blue was right about one thing: one really did have to be three steps ahead of Red to win; The Champion was incredibly adept at question-answer type situations. A wicked bolt of lightning tore into the air, effectively scattering the thunderclouds as it made its way toward Samurott. _Wait for it_ , thought Black, watching the clouds closely. The stray clouds that had remained began to crackle as the electricity started to build up. Black's eyes vaguely caught Pikachu running forward in the distance. _Change of plans, Samurott. Protect, and then Dig instead._ Black's order came not a moment too late, as Pikachu's Volt Tackle landed right when Samurott had finished throwing up the barrier. It then managed to dive underground just as the Thunder attack crashed on the floor with a resounding _boom!_ That was far too close for comfort.

Pikachu's head turned this way and that as it stayed on the alert for any signs of Samurott popping up. Black was a little irritated at his luck. Despite this battle having gone (almost) exactly according to plan thus far, he still couldn't use his other Dig strategy on account of the fact that he might very well collapse the entire place. He was still mentally cursing his situation when he noticed how thoroughly soaked the ground was. _Uh oh._ Electricity conducted wonderfully through water. That would not be good, no sir. _Samurott, remember the freeze escape thing we did with Blue? Do that again, would you. And make it your strongest Blizzard yet._

Samurott didn't say a word as it randomly popped up in different parts of the field, with no method or law behind it. Red's body language slowly changed to that of perplexity when he realized the Samurott wasn't after his Pikachu with that super effective Ground attack. What in Arceus was going on? He received his answer a few holes later.

 _You may initiate Blizzard_. Black saw Red look up as he felt the temperature slowly change. Wind rustled the area as Samurott slowly readied its Blizzard attack underground. When Red saw his icy breath in front of his face, it clicked.

For the first time since their battle had started, Red's demeanor changed, if only in the slightest. He smiled a little at the joys of fighting such a talented challenger, while also cursing silently in disbelief and helplessness. There was absolutely no way to stop Samurott, not when it had covered all of its tracks like that. The location it had taken to hiding in had guaranteed that Pikachu wouldn't come after it, not if it didn't want to be met by a huge punishment. And the fact that the battlefield was bare of any rocks or other natural formations practically ensured that the charging Blizzard would land. Not that it would have mattered, seeing as to how his opponent had created openings scattered all throughout the arena. All he could do now was hope Pikachu forgave him for putting it in such a dire pinch.

 _Fire away, Samurott_ , toasted Black in his head. Goosebumps erupted all along his clothed arms as he tried to put his hands in his jacket's pockets as casually as possible. This was, without doubt, Samurott's most powerful Blizzard to date. The attack was its own independent snowstorm, on par or even surpassing the might of the winter storms he'd seen in Icirrus and Snowpoint. Black clung on to his hat as aged rock eroded by the powerful gales flew past him. He tried extending one hand in front of himself to test the visibility and found that he couldn't even see his fingers beyond the howling snow. _I understand you're spent but try to locate Pikachu and attack as well_ , said Black. This was a truly impressive attack. No wonder it had taken forever to prepare. Through the wind and snow buffeting his face, Black thought he heard a _Pika!_ of agony as Samurott dug itself out of the ground.

It took about 2 more minutes for the Blizzard attack to finally clear. The sight that was revealed to Black when that happened took his breath away. The interior of Mt. Silver had been completely frozen over. Icicles hung from the vast ceiling of the cave, reminding Black and, he assumed, Red of the Seafoam Islands. Much to his pleasure, Black saw that the puddles created by Rain Dance had been completely iced thanks to Blizzard. That was good. One less thing for Red to take advantage of. A small groan caught his attention.

Red's Pikachu struggled to lift its weight as the damage from all of Samurott's attacks started to do their job. Black had to hand it to him, he'd raised Pikachu to an extraordinary level. To be able to keep on after getting slammed into the epicenter of Samurott's most powerful Blizzard to date while simultaneously being hit by Dig was something else. Red passively looked on despite his current predicament, watching Pikachu closely.

Black and Samurott waited as Pikachu struggled to regain the strength to lift itself. A fair (Black questioned the appropriateness of the word when comparing it to his strategy) and honorable (how laughable) battle was what he had came here for, and he would see it through. While he waited, Black started doing the math, trying to calculate just how much of Agility's effects he'd managed to counter. He understood that Ice Beam and Blizzard were technically not slowing attacks. However, it's what they left behind that he was really praying for. He looked toward Pikachu, who had finally managed to get up. There were small ice crystals trying to form all along its body. _Oh goodio_ , thought Black. _The advantage is mine then._ Pikachu began to run, barreling towards Black's Samurott with increasing speed. But, despite the reduced friction granted by an icy surface, it appeared as though Pikachu had slowed down considerably, much more than first indicated. But that wasn't right... The amount of verglas growing on it should not be weighing it down that much, even if one factored in fatigue. So where was the— _ah_. On its stomach.

Pikachu continued with its Volt Tackle, now little more than 15 feet away. _Draw seamitars_ , ordered Black. Samurott turned to him for a moment, confused. Black nodded in reassurance. The seamitars' Electric resistance were to be their secret weapon. So why was Black having him draw them out now? There was no time to hesitate as Pikachu leaped the last 5 feet. _And... Razor Shell!_ Samurott drew its radiant seamitar just as Pikachu was the blade's distance away. The timing was impeccable: Pikachu collided with the right side of the glowing sword, struggling against the force of the swing. A cracking noise caught Black's attention. No way... the seamitar was... breaking?! Samurott was struggling against the powerful push despite Pikachu's smaller mass. Black decided now was as good a time as ever to play his trump. _Hydro Cannon. We're ending it_ , he said silently. There was a brief, blue, star-shaped flash in front of Samurott's mouth, which was followed by the appearance of a watery orb. Without giving Pikachu or Red any chance to react, it fired.

The Water type version of Hyper Beam impacted, sending Pikachu flying with a massive shockwave. It landed somewhere at 1 o'clock, a swirling fog of dirt obscuring it from sight. However, the Electric type did not go quietly. The stress created by Pikachu's Volt Tackle had been too much for Samurott's seamitar, it appeared, because the blade broke clean in half. The shard went flying, impaling itself onto the ground several feet away. Black looked on in amazement. In all his time battling, _no one_ had even managed to single handedly cause Samurott's precious seamitars to chip, much less snap apart. He prayed to almighty Arceus that that Pikachu was down for the count, because the potential backlash for using such a bold move would cost him.

The rolling cloud cleared to reveal Red's Pikachu, which moved no more. Black let out an undetectable sigh of relief at the sight. Praise the sun and stars that was over with. As he waited for Red to go and recover Pikachu, he decided to check and make sure Samurott was fine. _Can you keep going, Samurott?_ asked Black. A swirl of cool colors flashed through his mind. He sighed internally, while keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead. _You know I can't understand colors very well, dufus. Especially not in the middle of a battle. If you're not prepared to say "Samur" in your head, at least give me a physical cue._ Samurott turned around and flashed him a wide smile. Black didn't know what he'd done to deserve such troublemakers for Pokemon; he was certain he'd raised them correctly, after all.

A rumbling sound reminded him to stay focused. Red had set Pikachu down on the ground at his side, and was standing still, with his hands in his pockets. The rumbling continued as something large approached them. In the corner opposite of the spot where Pikachu had landed, emerging from a previously unnoticed and well-concealed entrance, was a Venusaur. The Grass type was massive in comparison to its brethren. It was probably a foot taller than the average Venusaur's height, and the flower on its back looked like it had had a heaping helping of mulch every now and then, having grown a second layer of smaller petals beneath the first. Its battle prowess was illustrated all over its body in the form of battle scars and bruises, which decorated it like the lights on a Christmas tree. Its calloused skin was a darker teal than most Venusaur, which was odd. Then again, other Venusaur did not endure the frigid airs of Mt. Silver for years on end. Black knew that this was going to be a close and difficult battle, given the hulking green monster's slight speed advantage on top of its superior typing. He would have to try and land the first move.

 _Aqua Jet in and switch to point-blank Ice Beam_ , he told Samurott. Samurott cloaked itself in a veil of water before flying through the air toward Venusaur. In response to the Water type's charge, its opponent unleashed a storm of leaves in order to try and stop it. Black knew it wasn't a Leaf Storm attack, given that they weren't glowing with any special properties. The Razor Leaf spam narrowly missed Samurott several times, who rammed its side against the Venusaur's head, interrupting the stream of Grass attacks. It bounced back due to the recoil of the attack, and readied an Ice Beam. A blue orb appeared in front of Samurott's mouth as it fired the super effective technique in mid-air. In response, a green hemisphere suddenly erupted into existence around Venusaur as its Protect shielded it from the devastating freeze rays. _Aerial Ace,_ responded Black, _and switch into Icy Wind on contact._ Samurott landed on the ground, opposite the smirking Venusaur. A dozen vines soared from Venusaur's back, making their way towards the Water type. It was like each one had a mind of its own, independently seeking out its target with incredible precision.

 _Draw your seamitar and charge_ , ordered Black. If they could at least get Venusaur out, it might make the rest of the battle easier. But that was not to be. Withdrawing all of its vines, Venusaur hurled its front half into the air as its body was surrounded by a green aura, before stomping back onto the ground. The earth shook as light brown roots shot out, each one lined with numerous spikes all along its length. Samurott never even got a chance to escape. The roots caused by Frenzy Plant grabbed the Formidable Pokemon, who yelped in pain, before hurling it mercilessly into the ground. Black knew Samurott's run was over well before he even saw its fainted form. He sighed, pulling out his loyal friend's Pokeball, and recalled it. _Thank you for all your hard work, Samurott. Now take a good long break and let Zekrom take care of the rest_.

Black pulled out said Legendary's Pokeball, and threw it into the air. " _Zekrom, my old friend, a stage worthy of you has been set. Let's finish what Samurott started."_ The Legendary let loose a violent roar as it appeared from its Pokeball. Zekrom coldly regarded the Venusaur that was staring up at it in bewilderment, its awe-inspiring visage directing death at the Grass type. A whirlpool of dark warm colors swam through Black's mind as Zekrom's anger spoke for itself.

 _So this is the one who did in my close friend's first_ , it seemed to say. Lightning crackled through the air as Zekrom's tail began to hum.

 _We'll have to restrain ourselves a bit, Zekrom_ , cautioned Black. _This interior is probably very delicate_. The black dragon nodded its head, indicating that it had heard the word of advice. _Alright. They're obviously waiting for us, so let's start with a Dragon Claw_. Zekrom was nothing more than a dark blur as it sped clear across the arena to Venusaur. The Grass type barely managed to throw up a Protect in time. A Cheshire grin worked its way across Black's face as his feint succeeded.

 _Get back and use Dragonbreath_. The Deep Black Pokemon levitated back about 10 feet, before opening its jaws wide. An indigo cyclone escaped its mouth, making its way toward Venusaur. Red's second Pokemon was helpless against the Dragon type technique, which took it out with a single shot. Black hated having to resort to this sort of tactic where he hurled some of the most powerful Legendary Pokemon at Red, but it was arguably the least evil way to get to him.

Samurott's job had been to show and convince Red that his opponent was a competent and caring trainer, and not some power-hungry Legendary sweeper. Black had spent ages preparing it for the battle against Pikachu, helping it hone attacks and perfect countermeasures against its weakness. Now that his starter safely rested in its Pokeball, all that remained was to demonstrate to Red just how much he was missing out on the world by staying on Mt. Silver... and just how far ahead someone could get compared to him. The use of Legendaries had been what Black had ultimately implied to Scott when he'd discussed his odds of victory against the Kan-Joh Champion all those days ago. A smile tugged at his lips as the words came back to him. " _Who said I couldn't cheat?"_ The underhanded tactics were a little below him, but he'd rationalized it by using the age-old "ends justifies the means" lecture.

Red returned Venusaur back inside its Pokeball and whispered some words of praise to it, grudgingly admitting to himself that the battle was getting to be rather enjoyable, one-sided slaughter though it was starting to become. He'd never seen the Pokemon (was it a Legendary, perhaps?) before, so it was difficult to get a hold of its typing. But, judging by its anatomy, he assumed one of its types had to be Dragon. And, based on the large amounts of electricity he'd seen the dragon demonstrate, he guessed the other type was Electric. What a strange combination nature had dreamed up. Red briefly considered using Blastoise or Charizard, but then banished the thought. It would be rather obvious that he was trying to expose the Dragon type's disdain for Ice moves or its own kind. That dragon looked heavy. Perhaps...

Black watched as Red stood still for a moment, obviously deep in thought. "That's fine," he thought. He amused himself by examining the current state of the cave. The ice had begun to melt, though not by a lot. There were numerous craters and indents in the ground where the Pokemon had smashed each other. Oops. That wasn't ever going to recover. He became so lost in thought that Zekrom had to send him an epilepsy-inducing barrage of colors before he snapped out of his daydream. Black turned back as he saw an Espeon sitting in front of Red.

The Espeon before Black contrasted heavily with the others that he had seen on his travels. This one had a vaguely visible scar on its left ear, in the form of an X, and the purple fur of the Psychic type looked like it could use some pampering. Espeon patiently waved its tail back and forth as it waited for its Trainer's orders. Red gave a small smile when he saw that Black had returned to reality, catching the latter by surprise. Did Red just smile at him? Black decided to repay the first move favor from earlier, and held out his hand in much the same way Red had at the beginning to indicate as such. The Kan-Joh Champion nodded at him and looked to his Espeon, who was carefully watching him. It too nodded, then closed its eyes in an exact imitation of Samurott from earlier. Black could only hope the battle wouldn't end with the same results as earlier.

 _Zekrom, get in close, using Substitute as you're moving, and slash at Espeon with Dragon Claw,_ said Black, knowing that the eye closing was Espeon's first move. The dragon's tail's humming began to grow in intensity as it lifted off the ground. It rushed the entire distance of the battlefield, one second only a few feet from Black, the next raising its arm as it prepared to dice Espeon like a cabbage. Just then, Red's Espeon decided that now was a good time as any to make an attack.

Black groaned in dread as he saw a faint, blue flash appear in front of Espeon's eyes. The red orb on its head glowed as its Psychic attack activated. Zekrom was stopped in mid-swing, at the complete mercy of the move. Espeon lobbed it into the cave wall near Black. He didn't so much as flinch, hair whipping in front of his face. Simply hurling Zekrom repeatedly into the cave's surface might theoretically work as a simple strategy to attempt to beat it, but, given the level that Black had raised it to, it would have been a tedious task.

Zekrom's Substitute picked itself up, shaking off the negligible damage it had suffered. Black put on his thinking cap as he tried to devise a way to get at Espeon. Psychic types were, without doubt, the greatest bother he had ever had the misfortune of knowing. One would assume that, given his battling experience, he'd have found a fool-proof method to ending them, but that was not to be. Even if he _had_ a good idea, Red and his Espeon would probably shut it down more quickly than it could manifest. He looked around, trying to think of anything from the battlefield he could use. Those melting ice crystals hanging from the ceiling suddenly looked like a mighty fine godsend right about then...

 _Echoed Voice_ , said Black. _We're going to start a revolution._ Zekrom's maw opened wide as it inhaled a lungful of air. Black nonchalantly pulled some League-certified noise canceling headphones from his bag as Zekrom began to screech. The amplitude was incredible; even with the powerful technology behind the League headphones, Black could still get a vague impression of Zekrom's Echoed Voice. The entire floor shook and quivered with the intensity of the attack as Espeon and Red tried their hardest to resist the earsplitting cry. Black gave the ceiling a quick, casual glance as he pretended to relax in the midst of the battle. Good. The crystals hanging from the cave were starting to crack under the sound attack. _Alright, Zekrom. You may take a breath and then repeat._ The Electric type stopped for a minute, inhaling several times, before using Echoed Voice once more. Due to the nature of the attack, the power behind Echoed Voice had increased, thus freeing the weakened icicles from their spot. The spears of frozen water fell, slamming into the ground with enough force to rival one of Samurott's sword swings. Espeon moved to dodge the crashing lances, lest they trap it inside. Black smirked, eyes still passively focused on the roof of the chamber.

 _There's our opening,_ cheered Black. _Get behind it and use Dragonbreath._ Zekrom disappeared in a flash of darkness, reappearing behind the surprised Espeon. The Sun Pokemon wheeled around, a Zap Cannon at the ready. Zekrom's indigo twister collided with Espeon's yellow-green ball, creating a blinding explosion. Espeon used the cover provided by the smoke to escape from Zekrom, who flew after it mere moments later. Black watched as the Pokemon ran circles around each other, in a game of cat and mouse. Star-shaped projectiles began to manifest around Espeon as it ran, launching themselves at Zekrom, who was right behind Espeon. _Plow right through with Fusion Bolt. I'm through playing games, as I'm sure Red is._ Zekrom wrapped its body in a sapphire ball of electricity, effortlessly flying through the Swift attack with ease as it continued to close in on Espeon. The Psychic type suddenly stopped, dropped, and rolled, narrowly avoiding a knockout. Its fur steamed from the brief exposure to the heat of the attack.

Zekrom merely turned around, curving gracefully through the air. _Okay. Let's show Red just how diverse your learnset can be. Use Psychic and then finish it._ Zekrom's red scleras turned as blue as the clear summer skies as it forced Espeon to stay still. Black's eyes darted to Red's face, watching as he realized the absolute certainty of the round's outcome. The attack shook all of Mt. Silver as it landed true. Espeon was soon recalled to rest alongside its fallen comrades. Black watched as Red whispered something to its Pokeball before tucking it into his belt. Reaching into his side, he pulled out the ball that contained his fourth Pokemon, as opposed to waiting for it to make an appearance. He tossed it boldly into the air, defiantly refusing to throw in the towel despite the overwhelming odds against him.

Mt. Silver moaned loudly in outrage at the sudden spike in weight on it as Snorlax appeared. Black failed to suppress a sensation of unease as the gargantuan devourer of foodstuffs took form. Red's Snorlax was unlike any he'd ever met. In fact, it looked almost outlandish in comparison to the docile, hungry-but-cuddly ones he knew of. This particular one was firmly standing on its own two feet, had a glare that clearly said _I'll fight you and win_ , and its body language easily voiced its unspoken threat: If Red ordered it to bash a fruit truck in, by Arceus it would do so, and devour the whole entire thing while it was at it too. Zekrom's foot shifted uneasily as it assessed the colossus in front of it. Even with its status as one of Black's strongest, it would still be a feat of strength trying to make short work of Snorlax.

Black's repositories of knowledge rushed to recall as much information as he could about the Normal type. It had an extraordinary resistance to Special Attacks but had little in terms of Defense. That was fine; it just so happened that Zekrom specialized in Attack, anyway. And he could afford to attempt to make a move; the Substitute still hadn't been destroyed yet. _No time like the present to get things done,_ he told Zekrom. _Get in close with a Fusion Bolt and then Rock Smash. Have a Slash attack at the ready, just in case._ Zekrom shrouded itself in electricity once again as it made its way towards Snorlax. The Sleeping Pokemon drew its arm back, which began to glow white, as it waited for Zekrom to approach. _Veer to the right two seconds before you hit it and you should be fine_. But, that was what Red wanted him to think.

Zekrom managed to avoid the Focus Punch, just as Black had predicted. However, that left it wide open to Snorlax's previously-unseen Ice Punch. The super effective attack hit its mark, destroying the Substitute in a puff of gray smoke. Snorlax stepped back, confused, as the real Zekrom headbutted it with a Bolt Strike attack. Black hadn't exactly called the attack, but he wasn't about to argue with the act of autonomy, not when it benefitted them. The Normal type boomed in excruciating pain as it rolled back into the wall behind Red. Its eyes twitched once, before becoming motionless. Puzzling enough, however, was the fact that Red didn't recall Snorlax but, rather, just left it there. Black mulled over the anomaly in wonder when an urgent series of yellow, black, and orange flashes swept through his mind. The parts clicked: " _Snorlax is using Rest_ ," he thought to himself.

 _Quick, we need to end it now! Earth Power, then Draco Meteor!_ Zekrom's body took on a golden hue as it stomped its right leg on the ground. The floor shook as cracks raced along its length toward the sleeping Normal type. They split, revealing aureolin-colored energy, which obscured Snorlax from sight. Zekrom then moved to get in range, narrowly avoiding a Hyper Beam selected by Sleep Talk, and then fired a shower of fiery comets at Snorlax. Black felt his heart plummet into arctic waters when Snorlax showed the first signs of stirring. But, despite that fact, Zekrom's Draco Meteor still managed to make contact with the slower Sleeping Pokemon, effectively ending its short-lived reign as a terrifying battlefield presence. Red returned it back into its Pokeball, also whispering something to it like he had done for Espeon and Venusaur earlier. Zekrom took the opportunity to gently land on the ground, trying to regain some of its strength, having expended so much energy on costly moves. Black realized he needed to end this battle soon, or his friend wouldn't make it. Stalwart or not, attacks needed fuel to back them up. And shifting such a large mass around could not have been any easier on Zekrom's body.

Red's fifth Pokemon made its entrance by landing in front of the trainers after jumping from Arceus knows how far up. It was his Blastoise. Black scratched his imaginary self's head in wonder. "How did something as heavy as Blastoise make its up an almost vertical surface without wings?" He sighed internally. There would be time to mull it over later. Like the other Pokemon before it, Red's Blastoise was an oddity. Its shell had an almost ghastly amount of scratches and gashes on it from all the fighting it did. Its skin looked like someone had melted it down and laced it with steel, gleaming in the cavern's glow. Black was immediately on the alert. A Water type starter also happened to equal Ice type attacks. The long barrels staring at him were like the endless depths of the Underworld itself, dark and impersonal. Black's mind scurried to find a quick and innovative winning strategy that he hadn't used on Red yet. He'd used weather properties, move properties in conjunction with the battlefield, what else could he use?

"C'mon, Black, think!" he scolded himself. His mind quickly pulled out all the facts that it could about Blastoise in a massive brain dump. Lighter in the weight department; at its basic, slower than Zekrom; strong preference for the defensive. Its shell maintained a great level of notoriety as an excellent source of protection, even amongst some of the strongest attack-users. Black looked at the shape of the Blastoise's shell for a minute, wondering if that was perhaps an option to exploit.

Red's Blastoise took aim with its dreaded cannons as Red gave it the all-clear to attack. A Hydro Pump attack narrowly missed Black and Zekrom by, well, not-really-enough-to-be-quantified amounts. Despite the move being fluid based, he could still feel the force with which the water had grazed him; the wind seemed to punch him in the face as it sailed past. Several strands of his sliced hair fluttered to the ground beneath his feet. Black stared at them, stunned. What tremendous pressure...

" _Pika!_ " Black turned to the source of the sound. Red's (slightly recovered) Pikachu voiced its trainer's concern for him. Red tipped his hat in apology. So it had been an accident. Black smiled, giving a thumbs up to signal that it was all fine and good. He returned to the battle with renewed vigor. Cheating death by mere hairs tended to do weird things to people. _Okay, Zekrom. I'm ready. Use Psychic and expose Blastoise's stomach_. The statistics may be in his favor but he needed more than that if he wanted to win.

Blastoise looked around in confusion as it was suddenly flipped into the air like a coin. Due to Zekrom's use of Draco Meteor earlier, the attack didn't have nearly as much _umph_ behind it as it would have. But, it still managed to accomplish its job wonderfully. As Blastoise struggled to regain its bearings, Black went ahead and gave Zekrom some more instructions. _Now, while it's disoriented, use Thunder Fang_. Zekrom crossed the distance between it and Blastoise with a single bound, causing Mt. Silver to give a small shudder. Sparks flew out of its mouth as it prepared to chomp down. Good, he'd timed it correctly so that Blastoise was still spinning when the attack happened, which left it unable to counterattack and defend itself. Zekrom put its own spin on the attack (literally, surprising Black), biting Blastoise while also flipping once in a complete revolution in order to conserve the energy of the rotation, before letting go, hurling it onto the ground. Black winced in sympathy as the sound reached him. That could not have been fun.

Blastoise groggily got up, staggering for a moment from the extreme disorientation. It managed to take aim at Zekrom, who was flying around and about in order to make itself a more difficult target. _Watch out for Ice Beam_ , he told Zekrom. The blue bolts of ice were bound to hit Black's dragon sooner or later. He looked down at his Xtransceiver, curious as to how long the battle had been going. He was a little impressed at the time. 5:45 P.M. They'd been going at it for nearly 45 minutes. Black could have gotten an ideal grasp of Red's merit just by being handed the time; most of his battles were over relatively quickly, especially when he went all out. Something to do with how creative he was or some other jargon. Black's upper brain suddenly flipped. _Use Protect, Zekrom_ , he commanded offhandedly. An Ice Beam attack was stopped by Zekrom's Protect, which absorbed the shots. The semi-autonomous, sensing half of his brain had saved them the campaign. Any more distracted and Black's folly could have caused the entire plan to collapse in on itself. He was risking too much, trying to pity the battle. First understanding, then respect, before friendship reveals itself. He had to finish this swiftly and decisively.

 _Rock Tomb. Capture Blastoise in it, and then use 2 consecutive Charge Beams._ Zekrom threw a number of purple orbs into the ground around Blastoise, causing rocks to erupt and stab into its side and arms, effectively holding it in place. A bright, amber ball of electricity then glowed into existence in front of Zekrom's mouth. It took aim, and then fired it at the trapped Blastoise, who defiantly used Protect to stop the 2 attacks while still struggling against its bonds. _Again_. Blastoise's left arm broke free as the third Charge Beam was intercepted by a Hydro Pump attack. However, the fourth Charge Beam managed to stop the Shellfish Pokemon in its tracks, having made direct contact. Black hoped that those Charge Beams were enough to power Zekrom's (hopefully) finishing move. _Use Rain Dance right in its face, and then Thunder_.

Blastoise cried out in surprise as the smoky white ball of mist burst upon contact with its body. Black supposed he'd lost the battle in his own way, having to resort to recycled tactics. The crackle of thunder indicated that Zekrom's attack had started. The wicked bolt of lightning disappeared within the seething mass of cumulonimbus clouds that was forming around Blastoise, who had also become concealed by them. An extended yell of _Blas!_ , and a brief, yellow flash were all that indicated that the attack had connected. _Zekrom, if you'd please disperse the clouds now_. Zekrom flapped its wings, creating a strong gale that broke the rising clouds. The small whirlwind tore the writhing storm clouds to shreds, revealing a fainted Blastoise.

Red recalled it, whispering to the Pokeball a fifth time. Black waited as he looked around for Charizard, Red's last Pokemon. It all came down to this. Red's last and oldest Pokemon would present a challenge, no doubt about it. If he remembered correctly, Charizard were also capable of learning Dragon type attacks. That couldn't be good. Everyone turned as a roar came from the window of the cave. There, flapping its large wings next to it, was Red's Charizard. It couldn't fit through the window, given that the thing was little more than a narrow, 2 feet slit in the wall, so Black wondered how Red planned to let it in. His question was answered immediately when Red produced Charizard's Pokeball and recalled it. He then turned to Black, tipping his hat to him, before wordlessly calling out Charizard.

It was readily apparent just how difficult this final battle would be. Red's Charizard, even at first glance, exuded with ease its perfect balance of Pikachu's raw power output, who was Red's strongest, and Snorlax's intimidating battlefield presence. Where Venusaur might have been hindered by its large mass, and Blastoise its inability to fly, Charizard had none of that. The orange, dragon-like Pokemon looked much like its fellows: a plethora of battle scars that littered its body, uncharacteristically tough skin, and a unique, distinguishing quality. In this case, a tail that burned blue instead of the characteristic red, which spoke volumes about the Fire type's experience.

Black examined the room once more to make sure that there was enough room for an aerial battle, should things come to it. Though the summit's interior was easily the size of three football fields in diameter, it was a massive stretch of the imagination trying to visualize an air battle taking place in such cramped quarters when compared to the outdoors. "Maybe take this down on at the base?" he considered. But, Red, it appeared, didn't seem to care about it either way. His Charizard took flight, diving at Zekrom from an angle. _Rock Tomb on the ground once it gets close to knock it out of the air_. One of Charizard's claws began to glow a vague purple-blue color as it closed in on Zekrom. Black had figured he would use a Dragon Claw sooner or later.

 _A step back, and... fire!_ Zekrom produced three lilac-colored orbs and hurled them at the ground beneath its feet. It hopped back as three pillars of rocks shot out of the ground, knocked the wind out of Charizard, and then sent it flying. The Fire type landed in a heap on the other side of the battlefield. It painstakingly picked itself up, the Rock type attack to its gut having been super effective. Turning to face its opponent, it unleashed a Dragonbreath, which Zekrom easily blocked with a Protect. Black caught Red's quiet smirk as he realized his folly. The Flame Pokemon took off, seizing advantage of the situation, continuing its Dragonbreath in order to keep Zekrom still. Black had unwittingly driven himself into a corner: the amount of concentration it took to maintain a strong enough Protect increased proportionally to the quality of the attack a Pokemon defended itself from. In other words, Zekrom was completely helpless at the present moment. Any wavering in focus would result in a direct hit from Dragonbreath, which Red had cleverly ordered Charizard to maintain as it sped towards them.

Red's Pokemon paused the Dragon type attack when it was in striking distance, opting instead to ball its claws into a fist and use Mega Punch on Zekrom's Protect, instantly shattering the green hemisphere, which had been worn down from the earlier onslaught. Zekrom lurched back, unbalanced from the attack, only to get hit by the spinning Charizard's Iron Tail. _I know you're hurt but try to grab onto its tail._ The ever-steadfast Deep Black Pokemon managed to work past its daze of pain, seizing a hold of the tail with a numbing vengeance. _Subdue it with Thunder Wave and follow it up with Thunderbolt._ A small, momentary, blue surge of sparks surrounded Zekrom, causing the struggling Charizard to stiffen. It was then followed by a more spectacular, yellow discharge of electricity, whose bolts arced this way and that as the attack slowly drained Charizard of its strength. Red's starter squeezed its eyes shut in agony for a second, before they flew open again in response to a command.

Black watched, intrigued, as it opened its jaws, wondering what would come out of it this time. His question was answered in a moment when a billowing plume of black smoke encircled Zekrom, bedimming its vision. It let out a sound of surprise as the smoke got in its face, letting go of Charizard. The Pokemon took flight, not even bothering to try and attack, on account of the possibility that this might be its only chance to escape. _Relax and flap your wings to get rid of it_. Black's dragon calmed down, following through with the suggestion. The Smokescreen cleared, leaving Zekrom to glare at Charizard. Black quickly reassessed his Zekrom's health, making sure that it had enough energy left to carry on, wondering if he ought to use that move now. Come to think of it, this might be his only chance, seeing as to how reluctant Red was to attack following Black's response to his offensive. _Use Roost_ , he told his tired Legendary.

A pearly, white glow encased Zekrom's body, contrasting heavily with its darker skin tone. The wounds all along its body slowly cleared as the healing move continued to restore its health. Red's Charizard fired another Dragonbreath in an effort to stop Roost, but it was too late. With uncanny speed, Zekrom took off from the ground, avoiding the attack and its resulting burst of smoke and debris with ease. Both winged beasts glared at each other, wondering who would make the next move. Black took the moment to, as always, reevaluate the present situation. The Thunder Wave he'd ordered Zekrom to use should be kicking in soon. Zekrom's Roost, meanwhile, had done it a myriad of miracles, restoring its strength. He needed to understand just how much.

 _How are you in terms of energy?_ He asked. A vibrant forest of green answered his question. _Right, then. We have the advantage in terms of fuel so let's use it! Use Fusion Bolt!_ The familiar ball of electricity coated Zekrom's form as it advanced toward the panting Charizard. Though it managed to sidestep (fly?) the worst of the blow, a slide graze on its left wing forced it to land. Charizard's wing twitched oddly despite not getting hit by any part of Zekrom's body. "Probably due to the vast amounts of electricity, especially at the edges of the attack," thought Black to himself. Perhaps it _had_ been a wise idea to reevaluate the way his Pokemon executed their moves. He decided now was a good time as ever to try and finish the battle. _Use Rock Slide_.

Ripples of energy appeared in the space above Zekrom's head. There were about 14 of them in total, all white, and undulating like someone had dropped a pebble in water and recorded it all in slow motion. The rocky tips of the boulders poked out of the portals ominously, like a silent threat which would soon act on itself. Charizard merely gazed up at the slabs of hardened earth, making no move to escape. Black was actually a little surprised; was the paralysis really working that quickly?

Zekrom released its hold on the Rock Slide, letting the boulders tumble out of their portals and into the world. Charizard still didn't move a muscle, opting instead to flat out blow up the rocks with ranged attacks. Oh, that's why it wasn't moving. Whenever a boulder threatened to fall on it, Charizard would simply unleash a non-physical attack from its arsenal, blowing it up in the process. Black watched on in awe. It was almost effortlessly destroying the rocks with Flamethrower, despite them being a Rock-type-based attack. Eventually though, it had to tire. Black sighed in his head as he rattled off his ideas to Zekrom. _I don't suppose you could maintain some Rock Tombs and force Charizard into a Rock Slide? The paralysis is starting to work its way through the system so it should falter soon._ He knew that the idea of using a Fusion Bolt to finish the battle was far more appealing, but also less logical. Arceus knew how much fight Red had in him, despite both being aware of where this was going.

For its part, the Fire type Pokemon was doing pretty well. It's energy was running out fast but the fact that it had already destroyed 20 boulders was, on its own, a feat worthy of legends. Charizard was about to destroy another one when a lilac-colored something rushed past it. Its eyes followed the projectile as it lodged itself into the ground, causing a slab of rock to shoot out. It would appear as though Red's instructions were the only thing that saved it, as it once again grazed Zekrom's attack. The rocky outcropping slashed at Charizard's right shoulder, leaving a superficial wound that rapidly stopped bleeding. Black silently swore under his breath as, for a third time that battle, Charizard cheated death. Despite the obvious fact that it was tiring, the Fire starter and its trainer were pouring forth all they had left into resisting the inevitable. Zekrom was forced to stop its Rock Slide attack for a moment to recharge it.

The interior of the cavern was barely recognizable at this point. It was littered with random slabs of rock from the Rock Slide and Rock Tomb attacks Zekrom had used. Patches of ice and water were sporadically scattered all throughout the stadium, as were the few icicles he'd caused to fall earlier. Craters riddled the surface of the floor like a teen with terrible acne (Black winced as he remembered that _he_ was a teen) had gone over it, carefully popping every non-existent pimple there was to find. Now, what was there to use as—he was almost ashamed to have to admit he'd forgotten about such a classic. _This game is over, Zekrom_ , he triumphantly declared. _Use Rain Dance._ A small downpour watered the chamber for the umpteenth time that day, as realization dawned in Red's eyes. Black was, unfortunately, going to have to resort to the same trick now that Charizard was weakened. _Finish it with Thunder._ Zekrom roared as a humongous bolt of lightning flew into the clouds, scattering them for a moment before slamming down onto the resigned Charizard, who, fortunately, fainted almost too quickly to register the pain.

A red beam touched Charizard, bringing it safely back inside its Pokeball. Zekrom landed anticlimactically next to Black, who fondly scratched its head and handed it some snacks. He turned to Red, who was watching him intently, a look of amusement on his face, despite the fact that his opponent had _technically_ cheated by using such a strong Legendary. Black gave him a wide smile, which the silent trainer briefly returned. "Well," thought Black. "Here goes nothing."


	8. Chapter 7

Red watched as the trainer who'd beaten him petted his Pokemon affectionately. The last person in living memory who had managed to defeat him so thoroughly was... well, no one. Even Gold, the first challenger to beat him since his ascension to the throne of champions, had struggled to finish him off. In fact, he, Red, probably would have won their battle had it not been for how awful he'd been feeling that day. This trainer, however, was another story. True, he had cheated a little using what was now obviously a Legendary Pokemon (Red failed to stop a small smile of amusement at the thought), but that first battle with the Water type had shown him just how decisively he could have beaten him, even with a regular team. Who was this guy?

"You do realize that everyone misses you dearly, right?" Red snapped out of his daze upon being addressed, quickly hiding behind his facade again. The trainer sighed, making his way towards him. "I know you'd normally go to the Pokemon Center to heal your Pokemon now that the battle's over, but would it be alright if I stayed and helped this time?"

The words caught Red off guard completely. People normally tried to make small talk with him, yaddling on and on incessantly about their own private lives in an effort to get him to crack, before quickly throwing in the towel. But the way this trainer had approached him was unique. He didn't shout from clear across the field, didn't force anything. Just politely asked to help in a quiet and sincere manner. The teenager stopped in front of him, and held out his hand in a gesture of sportsmanship. "I suppose if you're going to wonder about me, I should at least help you by putting a name to the face," he joked, not regretting the awful play on words. "The name's Black. It's a pleasure to finally meet and battle you, Red."

Red looked down at the hand for a moment, hesitating, before taking it into his own. He couldn't help but be shocked at how cold it was. They shook once, before quickly letting go. "So about my offer?..." Black's voice trailed off as he looked in question at Red. Just as he was about to nod, a loud, joyful squeal of Meeeeeeeeeeew! rang through the chamber, startling him. He jumped, preparing for the worst, which caused Black to giggle a little. Red looked at the trainer, confused, as something swooped down and snatched his hat away from him. His Pikachu watched all of this unfold with a single eye, too tired to do much but follow it around.

Red's hands shot to his head in surprise, scrambling for something to cover his wild and untidy hair. He wasn't used to socializing, and this, the theft of his metaphorical barrier, was only making it worst. Black gave up on trying to be polite, and started to laugh for a second, before calling out to the thief. "Okay, Mew, seriously. You're making Red uncomfortable; Give the hat back." Hold on a sec. Mew? The small, pink Legendary Pokemon appeared, looking at him apologetically as it held out his hat. He stared at it for a few, long seconds, dumbfounded. The one Kanto Pokemon he'd never been able to catch, and here it was in front of him, belonging to the same person who'd just handed him and his team a proper beating on a silver platter. Mew made a small, distressed noise in its throat, pushing the hat in front of him. Red came to his senses, taking it gratefully, and put it back on his head. He turned back to Black, who was observing everything casually, and nodded an O.K. The trainer beamed at him. "Thanks! If you could call them out, I can go get some medicine and we can begin." Red reached into his belt, sending out his exhausted Pokemon for the second time that day.

They looked warily at him for a second, waiting for some kind of reassurance. It's fine. Just relax, he told them telepathically. They closed their eyes at this, returning to their slumber. Black cried out in triumph, producing a single Full Restore. Red gave him a raised eyebrow at this, causing him to chuckle in response. "Relax, I have a ton more where this came from. Say, I've been meaning to ask, how are you a telepath?" It was getting almost tiring how easily he was getting taken aback by whatever this guy said. When Black saw the look in Red's eyes, he answered, "How do I know? Well, for one, those were some very specific instructions you gave your Pokemon earlier. Of course, it might have been an intuitive connection like I have with mine, but I've battled enough trainers with a telepathic connection between their Pokemon to know one when I see one. And, on top of that, you just confirmed my hunch with your shock and dismay."

"How perceptive," thought Red. He then voiced his answer out loud, saying, "Mewtwo." Almighty Arceus, how was his voice so hoarse and dry? The answer hung in the air like a gunshot, silencing all background noise. Red's Venusaur cracked one eye open at the name, before returning to the embrace of sleep. Black recovered from his astonishment, and merely nodded in understanding, ending the discussion. The Mew clone had provided him with a connection between him and his Pokemon—all of them—as a way of showing thanks for... what had it said at the time? "Helping me find my destiny?" Something along that line. It had been so long ago; plus, the Psychic type only ever dropped by to check in on how he was doing or to drop a cryptic note before leaving. Of course, the link had its benefits, such as a slight advantage in battling, but it also meant that his Pokemon could tune into his thoughts like a radio show. It had taken him to the point of threatening to put them back in their Pokeball (which, curiously, blocked the connection) before they stopped listening in like that.

"That's interesting," muttered Black. "Right! So, first off, I need you to get your Pokemon in a comfortable position. Then I can start applying the Full Restores." They quickly set to work, slowly coaxing Red's Pokemon into various alignments until all were happy with how they were. Black's Legendaries occasionally pitched in, using Psychic to gently readjust those who were uncomfortable. Soon, Black was spraying his Full Restores away, deep in concentration. Red watched silently as he worked, perplexed. Whenever a bottle of the medicine emptied, he just threw it to the side without a second glance, completely focused on his work. He looked exactly the same as when he was battling, which, when juxtaposed to his earlier demeanor, was amazing, to say the least.

Black suddenly stopped, turning to face Red. "Say, you don't happen to know what kind of food your Pokemon like, do you?" What sort of question was that? He shook his head no. "Pity," Black continued. "I was going to try some Poffins on them, as a snack before continuing. But okay then. Here, eat these instead." He gave each Pokemon a handful of colorful berries. Each had equal parts of each strange fruit, which caused Red's mouth to water slightly due to their enticing hues. Especially the pink one. "I also packed some food for the two of us. It's not much, but I'm sure it's better than whatever you've been eating. I'll go down to civilization and restock later." Black tossed him a sandwich bag full of salted and smoked meats. He opened it, carefully taking a bite. The tough, chewy meat was incredible—a fine blend of spices drowning in savory juice gushed out, washing away the salts that had preserved them. "How did the meat have so much liquid left inside it, despite it being practically flattened by salt?" He wondered.

Red continued munching thoughtfully while Black took a moment to sit back. He waited while Red's tired team greedily gobbled up the fresh fruits with vigor and appreciation. It had been ages since they'd had such not-mountainy produce. Finally, they finished eating. Black then looked over at Mew, who was quietly playing around with the other Legendary Pokemon in the corner. "Hey, Mew, could you help us for a sec, please?" The Psychic type flew over, cocking its head to the side in a quiet question. "Remember the Metronome you used earlier? Do you think you have the strength to do it again?" Mew nodded quickly. It seemed like it was eager to help. "Thank you. Let me just get Samurott out and we can start. Zekrom, you can join us if you want to." Zekrom. So that was the beast's name. It flew over to them, sitting down on the ground with care. Zekrom gave Red a once over, before letting its eyes glaze over, giving it an almost silly look. How did such a powerful Legendary manage to make itself appear so... petable?

Black's talking eventually caught Red's attention once more. "... Right! Everything's all set and ready. Mew, if you'd please start the Metronomes." Mew started to wave its little arms back and forth, left and right, as it sought out the move Black wanted. Red watched, wondering what attack would appear first. Mew spun its arms in a complete circle clockwise once, before stopping. A white light surrounded it before vanishing. A soft Growl escaped from it, causing Red to smile a little. Black scratched his head slowly. "We'll get it, eventually." It took almost 30 minutes' worth of Metronomes before the move Black was looking for activated. "Aha!" he exclaimed. "Behold! Heal Pulse!" A second, stronger, and more intense white light filled the room as the so-called "Heal Pulse" activated. Red watched in awe as a rainbow-colored filled the room, rippling away from Mew as waves. He followed it with his eyes, watching as it washed over the sleeping Pokemon. Their rigid features gradually loosened as the warmth of the light washed over them. Red's body seemed to fill up with a gentle heat as he too was bathed in the omni-directional technique. His fingers tingled funny, like he'd had a sip of hot chocolate after being outside during a particularly vicious winter storm. It soon struck him just how cold he'd been—not literally, per se, but in another, more indescribable sense.

Mew's Heal Pulse began to dim as the energy put forth into the attack ran out. Eventually, darkness returned to the summit of Mt. Silver as the Legendary Pokemon stopped, tumbling down like a feather into Black's outstretched arms, completely worn out. "Thanks, Mew," said the trainer, beaming at it in appreciation. He pulled out what looked like a cross between a cookie and a macaron, and a round, blue berry. The Pokemon took it gratefully, helping itself. It suddenly sprang up with renewed energy, zooming around and around Black's head for several seconds before making itself at home in his messenger bag. Red never thought he would smile so often ever again; when he'd first set foot on Mt. Silver all those years ago, he'd assumed he was trading a life of joy for one of success. He slowly relaxed his facial features back to his typical face, returning his focus to his snoozing team. Now, it seemed, fate was giving him another chance to reconsider.

"Red, I think it's best you tell them to use Rest now. The food, medicine, and Mew's Heal Pulse are all fine and dandy but a regular slumber won't be as efficient at healing them," said Black.

Red nodded, facing his team. He spoke the one word to them, knowing that they were listening in on the conversation, even in their sleep. "Rest." His scratchy order was little more than a whisper but he knew it worked when he saw Pikachu's face go completely slack in a pleasant grin. He probably could have ordered it via telepathy but he doubted it would have been as efficient. Red recalled his entire team except Pikachu, then turned to Black, nodding his thanks for the assistance. "Why, though?" he asked, curious.

Black shrugged easily. "Why not? I know you hate having to leave the mountaintop to return to society, so I thought I'd stay and help. Besides, I feel a little guilty for thrashing your Pokemon like that. This way, they'll at least be a little more comfortable before we head down for a bit." Red stopped for a moment to think on what Black was saying, before the truth began to dawn on him. We?! "C'mon, it'll be loads of fun!" Black recalled a dozing Samurott and Zekrom as he pulled out two more Pokeballs. "Hydreigon, Dragonite! Let us enact a battle of myths!"

Red was a little uncertain about the catchphrase, but said nothing as two more dragons appeared in front of the trainers. What was with all the Dragon types? Was Black a Dragon Tamer? Red immediately recognized the cream-color of Dragonite as it gazed down at him with a friendly smile. The other one—Hydreigon, Black had called it, though, was a different matter. Red inspected it, thinking to himself. It was an oddity, with three heads and no arms (or were the arms arms with heads?). It levitated several feet off the ground, using its 6 thin, black wings to stay afloat every now and then as its various jaws snapped at each other playfully. Black patted both Pokemon gently on the head, scratching their heads for a bit as they growled appreciatively. "Guys, this is Red. He's a new friend I've just made." Red was rather taken aback at that bold declaration. Could one make friends that quickly? "Red, this here's Hydreigon and Dragonite, both some of my closest. They've agreed to help us down to the Pokemon Center at the base of Mt. Silver."

Red stopped the eager trainer for a moment."Why?" he asked.

"Because, despite what I've been able to do, it won't be enough to heal things like broken bones," he answered easily. Red sighed, resigned to his fate. "You can take Dragonite, since you'll be more used to it. I'm counting on you, alright, buddy?" The last part was directed at Dragonite, who nodded its head compliantly. "Which reminds me. Is there any way directly to the summit? I figured that'd be our fastest way down."

Red nodded his head. "Follow," he said. Together, the four of them and Mew, who was still in Black's bag, made their way toward the opening that Venusaur had appeared from earlier. They passed through it, with Black looking in awe at the sparsely decorated little room that Red had set up. A flattened, rock bed full of leaves and other shrubbery lay in the farthest corner, while smaller ones surrounded it. In the center was a firepit which still had glowing embers, while Red's backpack rested in the corner across from them, which had a flight of stairs leading down. Another flight of stairs occupied the last corner, these ones leading to the summit. Red grabbed his backpack, then gestured his head for Black and his Pokemon to follow. They made their way up in silence, the only sound being their footsteps on the cold and ancient stone stairs.

Black ran ahead of them as soon as the exit to the top was in sight. He turned his head this way and that in incredulity, trying to take in all of the world's splendor at once. Red wasn't quite sure what the trainer saw, but whatever it was must have really enticed him. He shrugged, making his way to a stop beside the awe-struck teenager. Before him stretched the whole of the Mt. Silver mountain range. White clouds splashed with the dying, orange sun lay sprawled out below him, nestling the various peaks as they barely poked through the thick layer. The glimmering, twinkling snow hurt his eyes, which were accustomed to the various caves' darkness. A cool breeze blew some snow onto the two of them, peppering them in white. The hairs on Red's bare arms stood on end, as he received goosebumps due to the cold for the first time in years. He shivered at both the thought and the sensations.

"It's beautiful," whispered Black. Mew flew to a halt beside Black and Red as it too looked upon the wintery, alabaster world spread out before them.

"Mew..." it breathed. They probably would have continued to stare at the gorgeous sunset until they'd either died or night fell, had it not been for Dragonite, who approached Black and tapped him lightly on the shoulder twice.

"Hm? What? Right, I'm awake," he said in a single breath. Black, in turn, tapped Red on the shoulder, gesturing to Dragonite, who was waiting patiently. "Let's get out of this freezer." Red stared at him for a second, mouth slightly agape, before nodding. When the two of them had settled in, Black scooted forward a little to show the two Dragon types where to go. They both shook their heads, before spreading their wings and flapping once. Together, the two of them made their way off into the sunset. Red turned around once to gaze at the rapidly disappearing summit of Mt. Silver. He never looked back again.

* * *

Professor Samuel Oak looked up in curiosity as a crescendoing sound approached him. "Hm? What's that?" he asked himself.

Mew suddenly barged through the door, yelling, "Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!" It seemed to be rather happy about something. In its hands was another bundle of folded papers.

"Mew!" exclaimed Professor Oak. "How'd it go?" The Psychic type flew to a halt in front of him excitedly, nodding its head as if it were on a sugar rush. It handed him the folded bundle of letters before Teleporting off to wherever Black was. Professor Oak rushed off to call Scott, wanting to share the good news with him. He looked over at the clock and decided against calling Hanako; it was almost 9 P.M, and he somehow didn't think a run-through of Black's battle against Red would do her worn heart any good.

"You called me, Professor?" asked Scott, letting himself in. They'd been checking up on each other so often that, towards the end of the 3rd week, Professor Oak had just told him to pop in whenever.

"Yes," he replied, gesturing to Scott to take a seat. "Black's sent us another letter." He unfurled the leaves of paper, peering over them. Together, the two of them read on in silence.

* * *

 _Professor Oak (and Scott),_

 _Black here, checking in to give you an update. Phase one is complete. I've challenged Red and made some careful approaches towards him. Though I knocked out all of his Pokemon (with the two you prescribed), I technically lost, considering I had to resort to the same boring tactic more than once (remember the Rain Dance-Thunder combination?). By the time Blastoise had appeared (it was the 5th), I had run out of ideas to use on him. He did really well to drive me even further into the proverbial corner's wall with his Charizard at the end. Scott, I do have to thank you for giving me some pointers before leaving. The idea of using the battlefield to my advantage probably saved me more times than I can count. It's as you two said: using Samurott first before Zekrom was probably the safest option to defeating Red. What was it you so sagaciously declared? "First respect, then understanding, and only then can friendship be born?" Anyway... We're at the Pokemon Center below Mt. Silver at the present moment, getting his team and Samurott checked out. Red took surprisingly well to my greetings._

 _From here on out, it's going to be pure guesswork and following the heart (you both know me well enough to realize how well that could potentially go), trying to get him to warm up to me. Oh boy~ Two socially awkward teenagers, alone on a wintery mountaintop... I'm still debating whether to check in on him every week or every other day. He really seems quite lonely. Oh well. I have a resident more-than-introvert I can consult once all is worked out here at the Center. On a side note, do you think it would be wise to throw him a Thanksgiving feast at the end of the year? Or should I stay for Christmas, instead? Please let me know with a return letter addressed to the Pokemon Center. I'll pick it up on my visits from Mt. Silver. The other pages are just a run through of the entire battle, with detailed analysis. You can use those to roast marshmallows or something, I just thought you'd like to see something exciting for a change._

 _One final thing before I leave: could you please get Hanako to lend me her best book on haircuts, as well as some supplies? Her son and his Pokemon could really use some pampering. Also send that on the return mail._

 _Regards,_

 _-Black_


	9. Chapter 8

_6 days later, Thursday, March._

Even as the first flowers at the base of Mt. Silver were beginning to bloom and show the first signs of spring, the barren wasteland that was the mountainside changed nought a glimpse, remaining as desolate as ever. Black stood atop Zekrom as they approached the forbidden land, and watched the sun peek out from over the horizon, splashing upon the dark canvas of the sky a pale rainbow. Behind him flew his Hydreigon and Dragonite, laboriously carrying the massive crates of Pokemon food he'd ordered. Black tried to suppress the memory of the event of how he'd obtained it as much as possible, shuddering as it broke free. It was, in retrospect, perhaps not his most socially brightest idea, running into the 24/7 Pokemart at 4 A.M. in the morning just to buy a massive quantity of Pokemon food, but one couldn't blame him for being so people-stupid, now, could they? It had seemed like a good way to encourage business at the time. He shifted uncomfortably on top of Zekrom (shoes off, of course) as he recalled just how much money he had instinctively handed the outraged store owner in an effort to appease him, as the man yelled himself hoarse at such a ridiculous notion as someone "buying a king's ransom's worth of crap in the most Arceus-forbidden hour of the night, by Jove!" Black's Dragonite flew to a stop beside its owner, looking over at him in concern. "I'm fine," he told the dragon. I think, he thought to himself.

The peak of Mt. Silver gradually appeared in the distance, looming imposingly before the quartet of close kin. "Straight up," pointed Black. Within a single swish, they had reached their destination. Black hopped off Zekrom, petting it. "Do you want to stay outside or?..." He wasn't quite sure what the Legendary Dragon would prefer, what with it being cold as space outside. Zekrom shrugged in response to the question, before spreading its wings and taking off again. Black waved it goodbye, before turning to his two exhausted pseudo-Legendaries. "Thank you for your help, you two. Just a little longer and you'll be free to go. Here," he said. "Eat these." He handed them each a Sitrus and Oran Berry from his bag, turning again to fishing inside it as he waited for them to finish.

His hands closed around a small, smooth surface. With an exclamation of triumph, he produced it from his bag, holding it in the air like a trophy. In Black's hand rested a disassembled, pitch-black flute, which flashed in the rising sun as if it were showing off. A warm, tingly feeling rushed through his hand as he thought back to the flute's origins. It had been a parting gift from his mom before his journey, a way for him to remember her by. She knew how much music fascinated him: he had spent countless hours poring over books, trying to teach himself the necessary music theory to build a substantial foundation. It was only after 2 years of dedicated studying that he finally grasped the understanding to, first play the piano, and then the flute, albeit not at the level of an expert. Black briefly wondered if he could still play with the ease with which he once did. It had been quite a time since he'd practiced, after all. It was one thing to pick a song here and there from a fellow musician during one's travels; it was a whole nother to try and recall it from memory. He looked over at the two dragons behind him. "Any requests?" he asked. Hydreigon floated over, nudging its heads against his side, sending him a brief flash of red, blue, and yellow. Black nodded in understanding. He awkwardly adjusted his fingers as he moved to find the notes.

"Let me think," he murmured. Taking a deep breath, he blew to test its intonation. Perfect, the flute was still in tune. He inhaled deeply again, before starting. _E, G, F#, D, E, B_... The teenager gradually lost himself in the music as he immersed himself, going down deeper and deeper and deeper, until his sense of time disappeared completely. On and on the island tune whispered through the mountains, serenading the landscape. Black became so lost in the music, which quickly alleviated his boredom as he waited for Red to wake, that he almost didn't notice a throat awkwardly clear itself. He snapped around, alarmed, completely forgetting the fact that he had two Dragon types flanking his side for a second. There, standing in front of him, was Red. The Kanto Champion looked the same as he had six days ago, when Black had challenged him. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed as if he had become even more tired and raggety. In the faint rays of the early light, his well-built form grotesquely resembled a broad-boned skeleton whose body had been draped with broken and torn funeral clothes. Red was observing him closely, his crimson eyes faintly coruscating in the morning sun.

Black watched as he lifted a finger, pointing at the flute. "Huh?" he asked.

"Song?" Red said. It was obvious that he'd connected the dots and realized this was one of the two songs Black had played for him on his second appearance on Mt. Silver; only an idiot would mistake it for anything else.

"Oh, that?" he said offhandedly. "It's a piece I picked up from the Shamouti Islands while visiting there. I learned it from a girl named Melody. Something about a Lugia theme." Red merely nodded in reply to the fact, turning instead to the mountain of Pokemon food situated on the summit of Mt. Silver. His eyebrow arched in what was obviously another inquiry.

"It doesn't take a detective to figure out that you were probably sustaining yourself on the local Pokemon population," answered Black. "So, I figured your team's palate could use some revamping. Consider it a tribute to the great king who resides upon the venerable ancient battlefield." Black didn't regret the sarcasm that permeated the air at the comment for one second as he watched for Red's reaction.

Red merely nodded, his face not even twitching in the slightest at the joke. He turned around back inside Mt. Silver, and gestured for Black to follow. The latter wordlessly called out Metagross and followed. The Steel type assessed the situation independently, and moved to help its teammates lift the food downstairs with Psychic. They went down in silence, with only the resounding _clonk clonk_ of shoes on stone to accompany them. The crackling of the leaping, orange flames in the firepit of Red's chamber greeted them upon their arrival. Black took a deep breath and sighed at the smell of the place. Despite Red's team being out in the open and sleeping on the various rock beds created for them, the air smelled heavily of firewood and the hearth. Not altogether an unpleasant scent for a room at the top of a mountain.

Black turned to Hydreigon, Dragonite, and Metagross, who were all watching him. He nodded his head at another flight of stairs that led down, indicating that that was where they were to place the food. Red said nothing as this all happened, watching it all unfold like a hawk. When all was said and done, Black's 3 Pokemon helped themselves to a bit of roaming, taking off to explore the top floor of Mt. Silver, while their trainer stayed behind with Red. Black carefully pulled out today's breakfast ingredients, making a point to remain quiet: eggs, bread, flour, butter, milk, an assortment of seasonings, etc. Out of the corner of his eye, Black noticed Red lean forward slightly in interest as he tried to predict what the meal would be.

He decided now was a good time as ever to speak up. "Listen, Red," he began. "I apologize if I came off a bit too strongly last week after our battle." Black stopped what he was doing and looked up at Red, his face the picture of pensive forlornness. "You see, I don't quite know how to make friends, much as I wouldn't mind having some."

The addressed was literally taken a-back, trying to collect himself at that random outburst. Black hastened to reassure him. "I'm not a psychopath or whatever with, like, no emotions or whatnot. I'm just socially incapable. Much like you, or so I've heard." He sighed, picking out the last of the equipment necessary to make breakfast, and set to work, talking out loud as he did so. "I suppose it'll be necessary to understand the story from the very beginning if you are to really grasp what I'm trying to say." Black began to chop the spring onions he'd brought as a garnish into a small bowl, emphasizing his next words with each cut. "I haven't yet properly introduced myself, title and all. So, please, allow me the honor of doing so to a fellow titleholder: I am Black, former Champion of the Unova region. I come from afar in search of my friend and my dreams, which have led me to be where I am today." He put the knife he'd been using down, reaching instead for a pot and Samurott's Pokeball. The Water type appeared and stared at Black, who pointed at the pot. It nodded, and used a small Rain Dance to help fill it with cold, clear water.

Black set the pot on the firepit, gradually putting the eggs into it, as he continued his narrative to his silent audience. "I know you probably don't want to waste your time listening to me regale you with every minutia of my life, so I'll try to make as it simple as possible so you can understand. 17 years ago, my mother, who was a Unova native much like myself, returned to her childhood hometown, following a mysterious lacuna in her life story. She returned to open arms, with a husband in tow and foreign clothes to match. I mention her only as a way of providing a hypothesis on what I'm about to tell next.

"A year followed her reappearance, and all seemed well. She was expecting a baby―me, and her family life finally seemed to be settling down. Or so it appeared. Several weeks after I was born, my dad received a letter. It is an event that is shrouded in mystery to this day: he never spoke of who had sent it to him. All he did after getting that letter was pack up and leave with nothing more than a brief note that apologized to my mom and I. We still have yet to hear from him." The smell of toast was beginning to waft through the area. Red's Pikachu's nose started to wiggle of its own accord as it picked up on the aroma. It woke up, taking off for its trainer's shoulder. Black continued. "My mom's sudden leave for another region for such a long time wasn't without consequence, it appeared. Her homecoming was marked by a social withdrawal, a mysterious alienation. It wasn't denial or anything, so much as it was simply her and her friends not knowing enough on how to reconnect. So, she raised me in near-social isolation, which I believe contributed to my introversion and bookworming." The story was once again paused as Black started to peel the boiled eggs, working to get his and Red's breakfast up and running.

"I had only 3 legitimate friends that I regularly interacted with growing up. Their names were Cheren, Bianca, and White, and the fact that I knew them was nothing short of a miracle. Their parents were the first and only ones to reach out to my mother and I, and their children readily mirrored their heroic examples. So, as any friend would for another, I played with them, schooled with them, and, eventually, raced with them to the Victory Road and the Elite Four. Despite all of that, though, I was still a very massive introvert, spending a majority of my time with a nose buried in books. When you have as little contact with the outside world like I do, and thus the opportunity to reflect, you start to realize the possibilities of constructing a powerful inner world. So I did just that. I read, amassing a database of knowledge that someone once likened to 'an encyclopedia on everything and nothing.' It would prove useful later on in my life, as my main areas of interest were Pokemon and people, with a side dish of music. I tried to supplement my lack of past experiences with humans with theoretical models on how they acted and reacted to certain situations, which you can see firsthand how well that worked." Another bowl was produced as the gravy sauce was quickly readied. At this point, Red's Pokemon were beginning to stir one by one as the feast started to reach their noses. Snorlax was the second to rise, with its keen powers of food perception.

"But for every one bit of my interest that was piqued by the creatures called humans, three more than that grew to love Pokemon. And, of the many of these fantastic creatures that existed on this planet, none drew me in more than the long forgotten tales of the Legendaries and so-called 'Mythicals.' I was an absolute _beast_ , pouring my time and energy into scouring the depths of libraries and collections, trying to pick up as many scraps and old wives' tales as I could about these enigmatic creatures. In the end, that curiosity became my ulterior motive for traveling, on top of becoming the 'very best.' I dreamed of encountering and learning as much as I could about the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon of this world. To befriend them, grow with them, and maybe even do battle together..." Black glanced over at Red, trying to see if he could read his thoughts. To his displeasure, his fellow trainer was proving to be superior in the game of poker, masking his thoughts completely.

He continued. "All of those introverted hours spent studying on people and Pokemon ultimately paid off for me, I suppose. When my journey started at the late age of 13 years, I singlehandedly knew more about the world's creatures than 3/4s of the population. Last week, you saw what I could produce with that array of knowledge: manipulating tactics and techniques to my advantage is now second nature." A mixture of salt and pepper was quickly thrown together as the final preparations were being made. Black pulled out two plastic plates from his bag, and slapped together the finishing product. Two plates piled high with creamed eggs on toast, garnished with a concoction of black pepper, salt, spring onions, and ham sat before the famished trainers. Red looked skeptically at the variation on his favorite dish, not quite sure whether the meal was intentionally created as a jab at him or if it was sheer coincidence. Black decided to let him figure it out while he took out some plastic utensils.

"By the way," he said casually, "the Pokemon food is all done and good. During my journey, I accumulated a fortune fit to rival empires. So don't hesitate to let your team enjoy themselves." Samurott went and slashed at the crates, officially initiating the start of breakfast.

They said nothing as they ate, voraciously devouring the banquet as if it would be their last. For a while, the only sound that came from the room was the dull dum of plastic utensils on plastic utensils, and the joyous munching of the Pokemon. Black was the first to finish, putting his plate into a large, black plastic bag before scooting back and exhaling. He fished out his Pokedex as he sought to reorganize his thoughts. He was beginning to have doubts about revealing so much about himself in so short a time; surely anyone would question such openness from another who so claimed to be "socially incapable," right?

 _No_ , whispered a voice at the back of his mind. _The entire reason for clearing aside your past is so that there is no misunderstanding or lack of lack of connection. If you're so bad at the human constructs, best to just sweep it all aside in one swoop._ His mind continued this argument for quite some time, weighing the pros and cons of doing such an outrageous thing as telling people things one normally kept close to one's heart. However, Red made a move before Black's mind could reach a consensus. The grateful trainer gazed at him with a piercing look that said _continue_.

So, Black took a deep breath as all the pieces fell into place again, shifting his mindset ever so slightly to match the current situation. He exhaled, and carried on with his tale. "I made a 4th friend whilst on my journey, and, to this day, he is the only other reason I have for traversing the world. His name was N, and he was single-handedly the greatest visionary I have ever had the fortune of knowing. We were sort of like rivals, representing two ends to the same question. N's words and actions completely changed the way I understood the world, and helped to widen my perspective on things I had never thought of before. It was unfortunate, therefore, that he left before I could thank him for teaching me so much. _Dream your dream! Follow the path of truth, and pursue the ideals to make that dream a reality, and someday you will achieve all that you dreamed of!_ That was what he told me. Thus, you see me traveling in search of him, to show him the gratitude I have for his wise words." A steaming kettle of tea was quickly prepared before Black and Red. Together, they sipped meditatively, letting N's departing words simmer and stew about in their minds, with neither side quite ready to break the contemplative silence Black had imposed upon them.

* * *

Black continued to visit Red every week, remaining as punctual and precise as he could every time. His unsolicited check-ups on Red were always done at 4 A.M., marked by the arrival of food and music. There, he would continue to stay and talk to Red about something or other before leaving after lunch at 12 P.M. He still had yet to explain his ulterior motive for coming, but both sides knew that the information would be revealed with due time. Actually, now was the time.

The two of them had finished breakfast and were just cleaning up when Black's head perked up, causing him to turn to Red. "Say, Red, did I ever get around to telling you why I'm here in the first place?" he asked. The shaking of the trainer's head confirmed his suspicions. He hadn't actually _meant_ to accidentally forget and follow that specific aspect of Professor Oak's orders. "Shoot. I planned to tell you that the week after our battle, before we started getting chummy." He smacked his forehead in embarrassment. It had been a struggle in and of itself to so delicately predict the plethora of situations and react accordingly up until this point. The fear of one mistake destroying this delicate structure actually frightened him a little. It wasn't due to the shame of failure, but, rather, because of the fact that he might not be able to help Red. Perhaps it was strange, but he could sympathize with the hermit's situation, having gone down a road very similar to his. And, the very real possibility of him not being able to help alter that course made him feel strangely sad for Red. Next to the curse of immortality, total and perfect isolation came a close second.

Black wasn't sure about Red, but, personally, he was getting rather tired of the idea of telling such long-winded tales. It was time to do some shearing. "Remember how I said a couple of weeks back how I was essentially an expert on legends? Well, you have sort of attained the title of legendary in your lifetime... not exactly an easy feat. On my journey in Johto, I picked up a word or two about your fabled presence in Kanto, and so decided to follow it and the breadcrumb trails about Mew. This ultimately led me to Professor Oak, who, together with a man named Scott, and Blue, helped me conspire to bring you down from Mt. Silver. Scott and I want to invite you to something called the Battle Frontier, so that you won't have to isolate yourself anymore. I can explain it more in detail if you'll just change your mind and move on down. Don't worry; I have your mother's express permission to bother you as much as necessary to bring you back to her." He gave him a devilish smile just to play up the sarcastic jest. "On a side note, I happen to have a resident more-than-introvert who happens to be an expert at what they do working on the side with me, so don't expect this game of cat-and-mouse to be easy." Red blinked at Black, obviously more than a little weirded out by that proclamation. It was definitely unorthodox, what with the whole declaration lacking any sort of begging or pleading like it normally was supposed to, but that was okay. He, Red, could get used to the sudden changes in pace that this Black character brought with him. It would certainly prove to be more fun than dealing with the attempts at tear-jerking people tended to do when they brought themselves on a mission to bring him down, at least. At long last, a worthy game was afoot.

* * *

Black persevered, despite the repeated answer he always received when he came to see Red. "Any plans on coming down?" Ever since that day, their meetings always started off with that question, which had since devolved to be little more than a slightly cynical icebreaker designed to help introduce the day. True, it was a little uncomfortable having to face the sting of rejection, but the fact that Red hadn't since grown outright irritated at the joke and kicked him off the top of Mt. Silver showed that there was still hope. Each time he appeared, Black brought something new from the outside world to show or teach Red. The first several weeks had been spent slowly and meticulously introducing himself to the Kanto Champion in such a way that it wouldn't cause him to scram. Now, it was a matter of reintroducing and reorienting the mountain hermit to the new age of humankind. Black was more than happy about having to play mentor to someone who was technically more experienced than him. It wasn't the pride of being able to show off that enticed him. No, it was more like the rapture of being able to finally put his endless repositories of knowledge to good and practical use that delighted him.

Today's lesson was going to be on the new techniques that the integration of Unova into the international system brought. Each trainer had a Pokemon out facing each other passively. The spirit of competition and tension that had riddled their first face-to-face meeting was lacking as they eyed each other from across the battlefield. "Are you sure this is the one you want to let learn a new move?" Black called. Red nodded silently, waiting. In front of him stood Blastoise, who was eyeing the Milotic that Black had brought warily, not quite ready to accept the trainer's good-naturedness as genuine. "Alrighty, then. The move I'm going to teach Blastoise is called Scald. Milotic, if you'd please demonstrate." Black's first verbal order since meeting Red intrigued the latter. People didn't realize it, but the very way in which a trainer commanded his Pokemon said a lot about them as an individual. This was just one of the many advantages that came with nonverbal methods of ordering, and was something that Red took advantage of regularly.

The strange sea serpent in front of them reared its pulchritude-laden head back as it inhaled, before hurling it forward again as a column of boiling water erupted from its mouth. Protect, said Red mentally. The move was an especially effective method to get a feel for an attack's power without subjecting his partner to damage, of which Red was grateful for. He didn't think it was yet time to reveal that much about himself to the friendly trainer by giving verbal orders, despite how easily he was picking up on his past.

Milotic maintained the attack for several more seconds, so as to give Blastoise a better understanding of the attack. With a wave of Black's hand, however, it cut it off, patiently awaiting its next set of instructions. "Well?" asked Black. "What do you think?"

Red shrugged. It was certainly a very strong attack; within the right hands, it could potentially be a downright devastating one. However, the fact that it was merely a simple, single-unit, beam-type attack might restrict its applications in a proper battle. But that was fine; times like these were where innovators truly shined.

Black stepped back for a minute in thought, trying to think of where one would find a good place to practice making hot water. "I don't suppose there happens to be hot springs conveniently floating around here, now, are there?" He had meant it as an offhanded joke, so one could only imagine his surprise when Red actually nodded his head yes in affirmation, face alight with a shit-eating grin. "Wait, what?"

"Follow," Red said as he turned back towards his room. Black looked at Milotic, who gave him a shrug-like gesture, before following Blastoise after Red. They descended the other flight of stairs, which had up until this point been completely useless story material, down deeper into the depths of the dark mountain. A trickle of perspiration made its way along Black's head. Was he imagining it or was the temperature actually rising as they made their way down?

Black gradually began to squint, not even realizing it until he almost bumped right into Blastoise's shell when the latter stopped. A warm, humid feeling clung to his skin, weighing down on him an extra 5 pounds. Red's figure was vaguely illuminated by the white light that poured out from an entrance in the distance. His next two words took Black by surprise. "Hot springs." Black had to repeat that in his head several times before the previously-unformed thought clicked: _The guy had this place to clean off, and rarely used it?_ Together, the four of them made their way inside the brightly lit chamber.

It was a breathtaking place, to be sure. That such a beautiful natural wonder was concealed here in the bowels of an otherwise hellish landscape was unthinkable. It was gorgeous―the smooth, polished floor and walls were all made from the same, uniform, ghostly-pearl-colored crystals, which enlightened the room in a single luster. Hot springs made from rocks and a wall source were situated all along the walls at regular intervals, separated 5 feet apart. Their numbers totalled to about 20, with 10 on either side. What really got Black's attention was the drainage system within them. From the top left corner of each spring flowed a small stream, little more than half an inch wide. The thin rivulets all flowed toward a common line that gradually emptied itself at a point on the opposite wall, no doubt pouring its contents to the base of the mountain where its journey would be restarted again. It looked as if someone had intentionally _designed_ the room artificially. But that couldn't be possible, could it?

Red made a one-eighty, waiting for Black to do something. He blinked, wondering what the expectation could be, before the whole point of him being shown the room clicked. "Oh, right," he muttered, embarrassed. "What I really need this room for is to serve as an example for Blastoise, so that it can get a grip of the temperature that's needed to achieve an ideal Scald attack." He gestured over at the water, which had a steady flow of steam erupting from its surface. "It's not quite boiling yet, but if we can approach this temperature, we'll be well on our way to one of the most easily spammable Water attacks on the planet." Black dipped his hand into the water to get a feel for its temperature. Definitely on the hotter end of the thermometer, but not quite ready to cook someone.

"Go ahead and put your hand in the water. Notice how it's not quite hot enough to even boil vegetables. This is the level of heat we want to achieve by the end of the day. The first thing you'll need before using this technique is an understanding of where it's produced. I'm going to lay my hand on your body, alright?" Black reached out, searching for a spot on the confused Blastoise's stomach. He stopped at a certain point above where the navel would be, but also below the solar plexus. "According to several traditions, this spot is known as the chakra associated with fire and transformation. We don't need to delve deeply into the theories; all you need to know is that all the heat you will use to produce the boiling water should originate from here."

Black pulled out a cup, holding it under one of the waterfalls that poured water into the springs. "Here, drink this. Notice how the heat spreads throughout your core. Where it all eventually rests is the spot you will use as the furnace to power your attack." Under Black's careful tutelage, Blastoise was able to gradually get a handle on Scald, before quickly mastering it by the end of the trainer's visit that same day.

"Thank you," said Red as Black was climbing aboard Zekrom's back.

"Hm? It's no big deal," he replied. "I still fully intend on getting you down from Mt. Silver. However, if I'm going to do that, the least I can do as recompense is help you catch up to date on the world." Red nodded, a little suspicious about how generous that offer was. "Forget it," answered Black. "While I can and do sympathize with your plight, don't think for a single second that I'm not capable of being cold-hearted." As if to emphasize his point, the temperature around the mountain suddenly began to skydive downwards as a blizzard slowly approached. The winds whipped around Black's death-bringing visage, hardening the lines that had turned his face into a cruel mask. "I may have been warm and friendly to you upon my introduction, but all those years in isolation can do some very twisted stuff to a person." Trainer and weather returned to normal as they took off, with the former waving his hand cheerily goodbye. Red looked up, not quite sure what to make of that excellent performance. Could he have been serious? Or was that just another fancy bit of legerdemain he had picked up from one of his "books?"

* * *

The flowery showers of spring gradually gave way to summer's moaning tempests as Black's visits to the summit of Mt. Silver continued. Red was proving to be an adept student, absorbing each and every new fact he was exposed to like a massive sponge. In no time at all, they had cleared through all the TMs and HMs that had been introduced since Red had disappeared. Now, all that remained was to go over the Pokemon that he had missed out on. This would probably be the real challenge, as Black had before him the decision of whether to grind and bring in each individual Pokemon, or to simply forget about it and risk missing some fact or other by only presenting information from a Pokedex. In the end, he settled on a compromise: bring in encyclopedias―the same copies of the ones he'd used as a kid―and, when possible, use a live example to help supplement the lesson.

By this time, Red had regained much more power over his voice, having had someone to practice a word or two with every day for the past season. It had gradually smoothed out, losing some of the harshness it had once contained due to lack of use. That was all well and good, the fact that Red was finally catching up with the world and finding his voice again, but there was one thing that still bothered Black to no end. The Kanto Champion's hair was a mess, and he smelled like the Augean Stables. Black had initially been reluctant about pushing the topic, seeing as to how he was barely an "acquaintance" at the time. However, now that time had passed, it was about time he helped alleviate that head of its burdens. So, he strode in one day, arms piled high with barber materials, all enthusiastically supplied by an eager Hanako ("Hush now! Take whatever you need! You just get to chopping down that boy's thick skull for me and bring him home soon, okay?").

"Alright, Red," boomed Black. "I can no longer stand idly by and watch as this atrocity continues itself. Your hair must be cut!" It was a serious business day when the normally-sarcastic trainer failed to initiate a visit with The Question of whether Red would leave the mountain or not. "Your mother has sanctioned my mission! So surrender yourself... or be captured..." Black trailed off as he let his eyes wander here and there, searching for the hiding trainer. This had become such an everyday routine over the past fortnight that it was really no longer a surprise that they were literally playing cat and mouse. Even all of Red's Pokemon had vanished without a trace. Black looked here and there, searching for them with mild amusement. A game in the early morn was always fun.

One by one, Red's team was rediscovered, until, finally, their trainer was caught red-handed as he was trying to slink off. Red reluctantly trudged out of his sanctuary, eyeing the utensils with serious mistrust. "Though I lack the necessary degree," Black started, causing Red's hair to bristle, "I believe I've watched enough documentaries to get the general idea. If you'll just please sit down for―a―second." With a little bit of friendly force, Black was able to strongarm Red down onto a rock, and set to work. He tittered a little as he saw the beads of sweat tumbling down Red's neck. The poor guy was actually afraid of getting his ears chopped off by an inexperienced hand. One couldn't exactly blame him, though.

"Tada!" Black handed the mentally exhausted trainer a mirror to inspect himself with as a hint of pride making its way into Black's posture. The face that looked back at Red was like a blast from the past. An uneven curtain of hair had been parted from in front of his eyes, exposing the fiery crimson with which they burned. His once-feral side had been tamed somewhat, now reduced to an asymmetrical mess of order. The bony cheeks that stared back at him were showing the faintest sign of a stubble, which he could already hear Black whistling merrily about as he set to prepare to remove it too. "In all fair honesty, I'd say it's pretty good progress, considering how little experience I had initially." Red barely managed to catch the double entendre as it sailed past his brain. Could he also be referring to their relationship as well? Come to think of it, it _had_ been progressing incredibly naturally, despite the infrequency with which they met and Black's now-obvious lack of social skills. They had started off initially with Red saying little more than 2 words at a time, telling each other short life stories; then moving on to the exchange of knowledge and mutual trust; and now, here they were, comfortable enough to at least sit still while one performed a delicate operation on another. All while exchanging the cringiest of bro-type jokes, nonetheless. Chalk one up to Black and his ability to be flat out _weird_ : The guy had literally faked his way into social excellence and adroitness.

* * *

The last days of summer were quickly approaching. Black's visits never wavered in their loyalty, always on time regardless of the weather or circumstances. Today was no different as he casually hopped off Zekrom, accompanied by the ever-constant crates of Pokemon food. "Hey," Black greeted.

"Hm." Red nodded his head in reply, tipping his hat.

"Listen. Zekrom found something last week. I wanna show you it after breakfast. Alright?" It was stated as a polite question but Black's puppy-like attitude practically bullied Red's resistance into submission. He sighed in resignation, leading the way down as usual.

After the meal, Red recalled everyone on his team except Charizard, who turned left and right in bafflement. _Black wants to show us something_ , he told it. "Lead the way," he said to an astonished Black. 1 word was impressive, 2 words was a stretch, but to hear 3 words in a row from the blase teenager was unheard of.

Black suddenly remembered himself. "Er, right." He scurried up the snowy steps, completely ignoring the possibility of slipping as he hurried up to where Zekrom stood, waiting. "Okay, Zekrom, lead the way!" They took off together, weaving their way up and around peaks as the black Legendary led them to who-knows-where. Eventually, the shimmering waters of a surprisingly-not-frozen lake caught his eye. So that was what Black's companion had found. They landed at its edge, listening to the waves lap at the shore rhythmically. "I'm taking a long shot here, but based on your earlier behavior, you never really explore Mt. Silver, now, do you?" Red shook his head no. "Figures. So, then. Skip rocks with me?" He offered Red a handful of rocks, which the latter took uncertainly.

Within a few pointers and tips, Red had easily surpassed Black as an expert in the fine trade. "You know, I haven't had someone close enough to call a friend in a long time. These past 2 years have been remarkably similar to how I spent my childhood growing up, until Cheren, Bianca, and White appeared in my life." _Splip, splish, splash!_ "Sometimes, I try to tell myself it was time well spent, learning, but it's really just a lie to help myself cope." _Thwunk!_ "I didn't enjoy being so incredibly outcasted, so I can slightly understand how you might feel. I won't try to pretend that I can read you completely, though." _Ker-splash!_ "But, that's still why I want to help you, Red, and maybe even get to call you a close friend, someday." ... "I admit, I was initially drawn to look for you out of sheer curiosity. But, now that I have had a chance to get to know you better, I really do want to extend an offer of friendship to you. So, er, what do you say?"

Black awkwardly held out his hand to Red, who looked at it in puzzlement. It was starting to get uncomfortable, what with the amount of time he'd had it out, when Red suddenly clasped it firmly, and shook. They got 3 good shakes in before both quickly let go at the same time. To this day, Black could have sworn he'd heard Red murmur, "I'd be honored to be your friend." Perhaps miracles did happen.


	10. Chapter 9

_Professor Oak and Scott,_

 _This will probably be my last update to you before my return. I am posing the all-important question (for real this time) tomorrow, during the Feast of Thanks. Wish me luck!_

 _-Black_

* * *

The two of them stood atop a small, lonely hill on the rolling countryside, the chirping of Bug-type Pokemon echoing in their ears. Above them, the stars danced merrily as the clouds sluggishly rolled by, too lazy in the vernal-worthy winter air to do anything of substance. Shining down upon the land was the full moon, which glowed cheerily as its light pierced the murky grey blankets of clouds, shedding light upon the sleeping town of Pallet.

"The moon sure is awfully bright tonight," murmured Black, gazing serenely upon the amber wheel of cheese that glistered high in the sky. His mind was elsewhere, deep in thought and pensive intrigue as to what the future would hold for him and Red. Beside him, his normally phlegmatic companion tilted his head up a little to give Black a questioning look, which he answered with a playful jab to the side. "Hush. You're in no position to give me that sort of look, what with your being a social recluse and all."

Red flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbled, rubbing his sore ribcage. Despite his appearance, it seemed as though Black sure knew how to pack a good wallop when he wanted to.

"Don't be. I was only kidding." The sardonically offhanded manner in which the statement was delivered earned Black an indignant punch on the shoulder. He tittered in amusement as his shoulder smarted violently. Red would need a little bit more time to adjust to living around humans, as it were. Oh well.

"We should probably set up base camp here and rest," he said. "There's no sense in bothering the locals at this late hour, and I _really_ wanna get some more of this amazing air. Any objections?" When none came, Black reached into the fathomless depths of his messenger bag, looking for something. With an exclamation of triumph and a dramatic flourish, he produced a picnic blanket, which he spread on the grass before promptly collapsing on top of. "See you in the morning then, Red." And with that, the former champion of Unova was out like a broken light within a matter of seconds.

Red watched as the severe lines that marred Black's face slowly relaxed, opting to stay awake a short while longer. He remained standing, turning to gaze upon the illuminated rooftops of his hometown. The soft farmland air was a welcome and refreshing change from the frigid punishments of Mt. Silver. Perhaps he had been missing out on life after all. He absentmindedly took off his hat, captivated by the quaint sight.

Long-forgotten memories from time immemorial swamped his mind as the wind ruffled his free and uneven hair. He inhaled deeply, his heart somewhat torn, wondering what the morrow would hold. It had been, what, 3 or 4 years since his leave for Mt. Silver. How was he ever going to explain his reasoning to anyone? And who in their right mind would be waiting for him tomorrow? Certainly his mom, Black had mentioned Professor Oak, and that Scott guy who had set things in motion would definitely be there. Perhaps Blue would be there too. Yes, that would all be nice.

 _You ought to get some sleep_ , Mewtwo's voice urged from the murky recesses of his mind. _You'll need it_.

Red sighed. Mewtwo, despite being a loner by nature, had an intriguing way of caring for those near its heart. Whether it be establishing a telepathic link or dropping by to check in on his mental and emotional health, the Pokemon had made it a point to show its gratitude to its friend and savior for helping it in the past whenever the opportunity arose (if in as few words as possible). _Yeah, I realized. But let me stay up a little while longer. It's been years since I properly appreciated this place and the view it has to offer._

 _Are you nervous?_ asked the Psychic type, concerned.

 _Perhaps a little,_ he confessed. _I'm not certain how things will play out from here._

Mewtwo chuckled softly. _Don't be. That Unova Champion has your back, whether you're aware of it or not. It's rather ironic that I'm the one telling you this, but just trust him._

Red snorted. How ironic indeed. _I realized as much. Will you be watching this all unfold from the distance again?_

 _Indeed_ , said Mewtwo. _I too shall stand behind you, as you once did so bravely for me. Now and all the days of our lives._ With that flattering oath, the biologically engineered Pokemon's presence vanished, leaving Red to think on it all alone. He wasn't quite sure when it that his eyes slipped, causing him to crumple on the waving grass from sheer exhaustion, only that Mewtwo would have a lot to answer to for knocking him out against his will ( _again_ , his slipping consciousness noted). In just retrospect, he probably needed it anyway.

* * *

When the dawn came, it was with a sudden onslaught of Pidgey that flew past the two sleeping teenagers, hollering obscenities at each other into the groggy morning light. Black got up, groaning. "Where'd the time go?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to get his bearings straight. What the―ah, right. Red. Mt. Silver. Off. Yes. Feast of Thanks. Here. Pallet. Christmas Eve. Christmas―he suddenly leaped to his feet at the thought: Another year had already gone by. Several stiff joints cracked loudly in indignation, causing him to fall face first. "Oof!" He picked himself up, wiping his face of debris as he saw Red, who was doubled over in the effort to contain his mirth at the sight of the former Champion of Unova with his head in the ground and rear in the air.

Red made several grunting sounds that resembled those of a pig's as his self-control tried to rein him in. He slowly straightened up, a tear making its way down his face as he regained his composure. Black glared at him (not altogether seriously), before carefully standing up to dust himself off. "Sorry," gasped Red. "Was funny."

Black had to admit, that was a pretty fair assessment. "No biggie," he replied. "Anyway. Let's make some breakfast and get ready, shall we?" He didn't wait for an answer, getting to work straight away. Eventually, they had between them a surprisingly nutritious sub sandwich, which was quickly done away with. Not a word was exchanged between them as they silently chewed, having opted instead to retreat to their respective mental landscapes to ponder the future.

Black silently mulled over the question of how (and when) it would be that Scott would introduce the entirety of his plans to Red. Given the size of the overview Scott had provided him with before he'd left, it could be assumed that there would be an incredibly large wave of information about to be slammed on them. If that were the case, then the Christmas dinners make for the ideal time to explain things. Well wouldn't that be fun to digest as a dessert. Come to think of it, why had Scott chosen him to spearhead Red's path to the position of Frontier Brain?

Due to the speed with which things had developed, he hadn't been able to sit down and re-examine the case on his own yet. As such, he'd written off Scott's decision to ask for his help as nothing more than the workings of the fickle finger of fate and fortune. But, now that he thought more about it, it seemed a little suspicious how convenient Scott's arrival had been. Could Scott really have a Machiavellian bone in his body? _Thinking too hard again_ , chided the voice. Black sighed as he realized the truth in that statement, his right eye twitching in assent at the acknowledgement. If he wanted an answer that badly, he could just ask the man. Sheesh.

A beep from his Xtransceiver caught his attention. He looked down at it, wondering if it was anything of importance. Oh. It was just the hour alerting itself. The clock face read 6 A.M. For the umpteenth time that day, Black rose, this time to clean up and get ready to make their way down to Pallet Town. He offered Red a hand, which the latter obliged. "Well, Red," started Black when everything was finished. "Ready to return home, then?"

The trainer blinked at him for a second as he processed the question, mouth slightly open like an awestruck goldfish, before nodding firmly. "Mm." Black took a deep breath and made the first step downhill, slowly gaining confidence and momentum as Red followed beside him. Together, they made their way to the boundary between Pallet Town and the world, where they stopped for a moment upon arrival. The red-orange houses and their occupants snored peacefully, totally oblivious to the return of their strongest. Only the trees were awake at this hour, waving to and fro in welcome of the town's pride and joy.

Black nudged Red lightly on the side, urging him onward. The shocked boy slammed his foot onto the ground in an effort to right himself as his body leaned forward about 20 degrees. He blinked blankly, hesitation etched into the very air around him. Black could only imagine the inner turmoil that was taking place inside his head. He walked to a stop beside Red, and took a hold of his hand in an effort to help alleviate some of that conflict. The physical contact was enough to startle Red back to reality. He subconsciously jerked his hand violently from Black's grip, and stared at him, mouth agape. Black gave him a reassuring smile. "Apologies. I figured that was the fastest way to wake you up. Shall we proceed?"

They made their way painstakingly through the uneven dirt roads, their footsteps echoing in the thick tension like horse hooves on cobblestone. Black realized that they hadn't exactly discussed any potential destinations, which might lead to some aimless wanderings unless one of them took the initiative. "Shall we go see your mom first?" Red turned to look at him in question, eyebrows arched. "I think it's the least we can do for her. She's your mom after all, and deserves as much. Wouldn't you say?" Red nodded in agreement and led the way, which surprised Black a little seeing as to how the Pallet Town native hadn't seen (nor thought of, come to think of it) the place in years.

They eventually came to a stop at a white wooden fence, whose paint was slowly fading away. Black stepped aside and held his arm out in an after-you gesture. Red reached for the gate with his hand and rested it there, rubbing it back and forth, his breathing quick and shallow. With obvious effort, he closed his eyes, inhaled, and pushed it aside gradually.

The gate opened with a deplorable amount of creaking, which caused Black to wince as the disgusting noise tore through the delicate fabric of night like a sword through a spider's web. He peeked through one eye as Red's hand jerked in surprise, slamming the gate into the fence. A deafening boom broke the blissful morning silence as Black imagined every household within a mile radius flicking on their lights in fear. He made an exaggerated sigh, and lightly rested a hand on Red's shoulder, guiding him to his front door. Black knew he had to restrain himself and at least fake calmness for the Kanto Champion's sake, even though he personally was giddy beyond belief.

Both trainers looked at the slab of aged, cocoa wood for a minute, letting it all sink in. Finally, Black spoke up. "Allow me," he said. Raising a fist, he knocked thrice. Knock knock knock. Silence lay strung in the air as they waited for Hanako to open the door. Just when they were about to try again, the door flew open. Black instinctively leaped back like a cat (when was he ever going to stop doing that? he wondered in the back of his head), colliding with a confused Red, whose caught-unawares knees promptly buckled from the sudden extra weight. They both tumbled to the ground in a writhing mess of limbs as Hanako emerged, too tired even to remember her frying pan.

"Huh, hm?" she groaned, trying to rub the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. Black shot up comically, grabbing Red, who made a small noise of protest, along the way.

"Ah! Mrs. Hanako!" he said jovially.

"Well if it isn't Black," she said, all weariness draining from her eyes. "How are you?"

Black's responding grin split from ear to ear, giving it an unsettling appearance. "Beyond perfection, ma'am." When Hanako cocked an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Red, Black stepped aside. "I brought someone here who wanted to see you."

"Who―"

Black couldn't imagine what a sight it must have been for Hanako. Here he was, a potential associate for one of the most influential billionaires in the world, standing at her front doorstep in the wee hours of the _holiday_ season, with a raggedy teenager who, to all appearances, must have looked like a beggar rapscallion turned on the wrong side of the road. Mother and son stared at each other for several long eternities (a few of which were wasted trying to realize just who it was they were eying), neither side exchanging a peep as they took in the sight of each other. Time seemed to stand still all around them, save for Black, who casually pulled out some Fizzy Water and took a sip. The sharp crack of the bottle opening had the desired effect, snapping the spellbound two out of their daze. They jumped, shifting a foot awkwardly. "Er," provided Black.

Hanako lifted a hand to the boy's face, brushing it, not daring to believe it was who she thought it was. "..."

Red's lips nervously curled in an attempt to provide a small smile. "Hi, mom," he said. The words, quietly uttered as they were, might as well have been the whispers of a ghost amidst a raging tempest. However, they yielded the intended outcome. Hanako's single hand was instantaneously joined by its twin, who snatched a frightened Red from his spot into her embrace. Black took another, less audible sip as he carefully observed the delicate situation before him. Tears were streaming from Hanako's clenched eyes as she practically crushed her son, refusing to let him go despite his gasps, which forced their way in between his choked sobs.

Black took a step back so as to provide mother and son with the privacy they needed. He looked around, checking for any onlookers. There was―surprise surprise!―an incredible lack of people who were awake and watching them, in spite of the ruckus that had preluded the reunion of mother and son. Black took a third sip, turning back to see how Red and Hanako were doing. Neither side had budged an inch, both still locked in a hug. However, Black was pleased to see that Red had tentatively made to reciprocate the gesture, if with only his right arm. His thunderstruck eyes were still locked in the space beyond the threshold, unfortunately, but that was okay. They were making progress, and that was all that mattered.

Having finished his Fizzy Water, Black crumpled his hand into a fist, squashing the bottle, all the while keeping his eyes on the two. A tail thwacked him in the cheek as a slight pressure appeared on his shoulder. _Hiya, Mew_ , he said silently. _Nice to have you back and joining us._

 _Mew mew_ , it murmured telepathically, responding with a mischievous flash of pink. Trainer and Legendary watched as Hanako took a step back, tilting her head a good ways to peer into her son's eyes. He was a good head taller than her now, and as such easily dwarfed her smaller frame by comparison. She reached out a hand to part his uneven bangs, clearly wanting an unobstructed view of his signature crimson irises.

"It's really you," she breathed incredulously, which earned a small pang from Black's chest. Wow, was that a reaction he was familiar with. Hanako suddenly took a step back, breathing in shakily as she did so. She turned to Black, who had managed to shuffle a good distance away from the emotionally charged atmosphere, and said, "Thank you. You will never know how grateful I am for this gift. Please, come inside."

Hanako ushered them inside quickly, taking a small peek over her shoulder before closing the door. She rushed them to the living room, and sat them down, before scurrying ecstatically to her kitchen to cook up a quick meal. Black took a look around the living room as he awaited Hanako's return.

It was almost unrecognizable from his previous visits: What was once the bare and humble space of a mourning mother had since transformed into a house of lively festivity. A brand-new Christmas tree stood on the corner closest to the window, blinking cheerily on and off. A string of holiday lights was strung up all along the house's walls, encircling its perimeter like some great serpent of myth; the floors had been freshly cleaned to a shine, squeaking with each shift of the foot. All in all a dramatic change from the place of sorrow he'd once encountered.

Red's mom re-entered the room, carrying in her hands two small plates piled high with food for each of them. Despite the quick meal he'd had earlier, Black's mouth was beginning to water again at the smell of homemade goodness and motherly care. "I can only imagine what you two ate on that horrendous mountaintop," began Hanako. "Eat up." They gladly scarfed down the delicious food without a second thought as she continued. "While you're at it, would either of you like to take a bath?" Both nodded eagerly with their mouths filled to the brim, causing Hanako to sigh mockingly. She left the room to go prepare a bath for the first one without another word to the two.

Black inhaled the rest of his food and sat back for a second to relax. "Whew. Your mom certainly makes fine provender for the ill-fed." Red continued on as if he hadn't heard a word. "I think you ought to take the first bath, considering how little you payed attention to hygiene on that mountain. I'll just rinse off after you or something." This time, the Kanto Champion looked up and nodded in thanks silently. He wiped his mouth off and made off for the bathroom, which was awaiting his arrival, staggering a little along the way. Black decided now would be a good time to call Professor Oak and Scott, who were both no doubt eagerly awaiting the news of Red's return as well.

Scott was the first to pick up the conference call, waving a hand in greeting through the screen. He hadn't changed much since the last time Black had seen him, still sporting the same vacation clothes and black sunglasses as if every day were a fun day. "Hey, Black! It's been awhile. How is everything?"

"It's all good, Scott," answered Black. "In fact, things couldn't be better."

Before Black could elaborate any further on what he meant, Professor Oak appeared, his eyes already bright and alert despite the day's youth. "Hello, Scott and Black! I trust everything is fine on your ends?" The two nodded in reply to the wizened man's question, glad to see that their third co-conspirator had decided to join them so quickly. "Is there anything I missed?"

Both Scott and Black shook their heads no. "You actually arrived just in time," said the former. "We were just getting passed the introductions and moving onto business." Scott turned to Black, addressing him with his next question. "So I take it you're at Hanako's house, then? Those Christmas lights are hard to miss."

Black looked around him as he thought about Scott's question. "Yeah, I'm in her living room. Is the decor really that outstanding though?"

The question earned him a soft chuckle from Professor Oak. "It's not altogether that distinguishing, I suppose. However, it has partially to do with the fact that we were there not a week ago, helping her set up the house for your return. Not to mention this is the first time in years that she's bothered to celebrate the holidays." Black said nothing as he let the implications sink in.

"Anyway," interrupted Scott. "Does this mean that I'm correct in supposing Red's there with you as well?" One could easily see the eagerness making its way into his posture as the question hung in the air.

"Yes," answered Black. "You missed him by a few minutes. He's upstairs washing off right now."

"Oh. I see," said Scott, obviously a little crestfallen. "Well, I suppose there's always later."

"Are you both coming over?" Black was a little surprised by that sudden change in events.

Professor Oak piped up. "Why, yes we are. As is Blue. Arceus knows Hanako would never ask us for it but we thought we'd come over and help her with the chores."

"Right now?" This early in the morning? Black thought.

The owner of the Battle Frontier confirmed the question with a nod of his head. "Hm. I'm moving to go as we speak." Sure enough, the background behind Scott was slowly changing as he made his way into what appeared to be a garage. "While I'm at it, would you like me to pick you up as well, Professor? It's the least I can do for all your help in assisting our young Black with his research materials."

"Actually, Scott," interjected Black. "I could ask Mew to pick up Professor Oak instead. If it's alright with the both of them, that is."

The Mythical Pokemon revealed itself at the mention of its name, waving its short arms wildly in greeting as it flew all over the place, which earned it smiles from both of Black's elders. "Me-ew!"

"Why hello there, Mew!" said Professor Oak. "How are you?" The silly Psychic type used Transform to change its face into a perfect imitation of Scott's, pulling on its cheeks as it did so.

Black smacked Mew lightly upside the head, trying to refocus it. "He asked how you were, not whether you'd learned any new tricks," he reprimanded it, though amusement twinkled in his eyes. Mew glared daggers at him, before turning back to Professor Oak and nodding sheepishly, which caused the researcher to chuckle. "So, Professor, my offer still stands. Would you still like to fly Mew Airlines?"

"As long as it's fine with Mew," he replied. The Mythical Pokemon couldn't nod its head fast enough in response to the statement. "Though, might I ask why it is Mew isn't picking you up, Scott?"

Scott scratched his nose with a finger as he gave a small smile. "Well, see, I think Black is better suited to answer that question for you."

"It's because of the limitations of Mew's Teleport," Black answered simply with a shrug. "Mew can only travel to locations that either it or I know well enough to share telepathically. And, although Mew could travel to Scott by using him as an anchor of sorts to track down his location, it'd be impossible to return once they left since neither Mew nor I know it well enough to Teleport back. It's kind of like the difference between being told where a book is in an expansive, three-building library and knowing where it is like the back of your hand. You need some kind of aid for former while the latter can be constantly revisited at any time."

"I see. Very well. Let me get outside and you can send Mew over." Professor Oak got up, getting ready to shut off his connection. "I'll see you all soon, then!"

"See ya, Professor," waved Scott. "Actually, I have to get going too. I'll be there in about an hour. Later, Black!" Scott's and Oak's sides of the call both went dark as they left to get ready to come over. Black turned to Mew and nodded. The Mythical Pokemon vanished and reappeared a moment later outside the door with Professor Oak in tow. The researcher walked up to the door and tapped it lightly, patiently waiting as Hanako made her way to let him in.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking at Black, who merely shrugged. She turned the nob, pushing it open as she peered out. "Oh, Professor! What a surprise to see you up and about so early in the morning."

Professor Oak nodded, awkwardly scratching his head. "Why, yes. Hello to you too, Hanako! May I come in?" Black watched with amusement as Hanako moved aside in a daze to let the famous researcher through, with Mew at his tail. "And I see you're back as well, Black."

The trainer stood up and tipped his hat in greeting. "It's great to finally see you in person again, Professor." Mew appeared beside his shoulder, waving genially at Professor Oak.

"Thank you," replied Professor Oak. "It too is a pleasure to see you after all those long months. How is Red?"

At that moment, the former mountain hermit walked in, confusion written all over his face. He had a towel in one hand, which he was using to tousle his still-wet hair. In his other rested his signature cap, which Black was certain he was planning on donning after he was done drying his head. Red had since changed into a new attire that heavily contrasted with his previous clothes. Where the other had at least contained a faint glimmer of style and personality to it, the new, form-fitting, white T-shirt; immaculate blue jeans, and sleeveless black jacket said absolutely nothing about who Red was as a person and trainer.

Red's figure visibly stiffened at the small gathering of people, despite it only being filled with friends and family. His eyes instantly filled with fear for a second as they frantically darted about the room, eventually coming to rest on Black, who had his head cocked slightly to the right in perplexity. Black tried to send Red some reassurance as he asked him _All is well?_ With his eyes. The Pallet Town native's shoulders slowly slumped as the tension drained out of him, leaving relief in its place. Black scooted over to make room for Red, who reluctantly took a seat beside the former Unova Champion.

"Hello, Red," began Professor Oak. "I see you're doing rather well."

"Thank you," whispered Red, nodding slightly. He smiled politely at Professor Oak for a brief moment, before going mute and expressionless again. The four of them sat there in awkward silence for a while as they all faced each other, too hesitant to make a move.

Above them, Mew gently rocked back and forth nonchalantly in the air as it quietly murmured to itself. "Mew, mew, mew, mew," it whispered.

Finally, Professor Oak decided to break the tension by resolutely clearing his throat. "Erm. So. Hanako, is there anything you'd like help with today?"

Hanako snapped her head up in surprise. "Hm? What? Oh yes! Could you please go and vacuum around the house? I'd like it cleaned up before tonight."

Black glanced over at Red in apology before leaping to his feet. "Right! The two of us can lend a hand in the kitchens while we're waiting for Scott." Black stopped for a moment to inspirit Red, who hadn't budged an inch from his spot on the couch. The Kanto Champion was staring at him as if he'd lost his marbles. "C'mon! You'll be perfectly fine, Red. It's not like you're fighting for your life. And besides, I'll be there to help you. Just show us the recipes, Hanako." Without giving Red a chance to argue, Black grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside the kitchen, astounding everyone present with his hidden strength.

Above him, Mew was beside itself with laughter, pointing at the two like some overgrown, pink elf as it relished the sarcasm that made up Black's assessment of the situation. Black mentally shot it an epileptic barrage of colors before leaving, not even staying behind to savour the choked cough it let out upon receiving the rainbow barrage.

Red wheeled on Black the moment the two of them had made their way into the kitchen and settled down a little. Black faltered under the scorching gaze blazing on Red's visage, holding up his hands in a placating gesture as he sternly said, "Now, Red. Do you really think you would have been better off awkwardly sitting alone in the living room while everyone hurried to work around you?"

Red continued to glare at him before sighing in resignation at Black's infallible logic. Despite his distaste for people, the stoic trainer would be even more ill at ease sitting alone uselessly with working company. At least here he'd have someone he knew well to deflect attention.

Black sighed, slightly worn out by his little outgoing performance as Hanako walked in. He hurriedly leaped off the island counter he'd been sitting on as she approached them. "I'd like to thank you two for offering your help. It really does mean a lot to me."

"It's not a problem at all, Mrs. Hanako," replied Black. "Do you already have any dishes in mind?"

Hanako's response to Black's question came out muffled as she busily shuffled around the contents of an overhead cabinet, looking for something. "As a matter of fact, I do. Let me find the―aha! Could either of you pull that book over there out for me? I can't quite reach it."

Mew hurried forward before either of them could step up. It quickly used Psychic, surrounding itself and, presumably, Hanako's book in a royal blue aura as it levitated the book out. Black held out his hands, which Mew lightly dropped the book onto. He was taken aback by the book's great weight, despite its misleadingly small appearance (it happened to be about the size of what a book belonging to a seven-novel series would look like, if ever such a thing existed). The dust on its aged surface exploded everywhere, causing Black's nose to itch. He hurriedly placed it on the counter-top, before promptly exploding into a sneezing fit.

Hanako patiently waited until he'd calmed down, and then began to explain. "See those tabs sticking out of the book?" She pointed to indicate as such. "The red ones are the ones I usually make for Christmas. I'd like you to prepare those dishes, as well as 2 or 3 of the yellow desserts too. You may choose whatever you'd like for those."

Black quietly gulped when he saw the number of items Hanako had selected. There had to be at least 12 different dishes total (counting the desserts) that she had requested. If they were going to cook this elaborate feast, he had to at least try and see if his request would be accepted. "Hold on, Mrs. Hanako. Would it be alright if we used our Pokemon to help out with the cooking?"

Hanako's eyebrow arched in an unnatural angle as she considered the circumstances surrounding the question. "In this tight space?" she asked apprehensively.

"Surely there's a backyard where we can set up a prepping station," he countered.

"And their expertise?"

"Only as good as the trainers who raised them."

The two of them stared each other down for several, tense seconds as they waited for one or the other to give and crack up with laughter. "Fine," sighed Hanako at long last. "But only if you all clean up first! I expect pristine hands before any of you are to handle food!"

Black hurried to thank her, beaming all the while. "Nothing a small Rain Dance and liberal amounts of soap never fixed! Thank you, Mrs. Hanako!"

She winced at the thought. "Which reminds me. I'll have to go buy the necessary ingredients and some soap from the next city over if we're ever going to make something of this grandiose level."

Red spoke up. "I'll pay," he said quietly, much to everyone's astonishment. He flushed, pulling down his hat to hide the scarlet that was rapidly curling its way up his neck and face. "I―... leftover money," he finally mumbled.

It took Black a second to realize what he meant. "Oh. He's referring to the small fortune people tend to amass once they've become Champion," he explained. "You should be able to withdraw some money from a nearby Pokemon Center with his Trainer Card and some kind of verification." Hanako said nothing as she took in the information and the Trainer Card Black snatched from Red. "I'm sure Mew could take you to the Viridian City Pokemon Center, since I know the place pretty well." He turned to address the spectating Psychic type, who had been entertaining itself by opening and closing the cupboards until now. "Will you please accompany Hanako on her shopping trip?"

Mew's head looked like it was about to fall off its shoulders as it bobbed its head up and down. "Mew! Mew!" Without even giving them another chance to say anything else, it clasped Hanako's right hand with both of its own, shook it, and Teleported.

"Wait!" Black called out in vain as they disappeared, leaving him to extend his arm out pointlessly. _Hanako doesn't even know what she needs to buy yet!_ He told the Mythical Pokemon mentally.

A swirl of shamrock, porcelain, and chocolate appeared in his mind's eye in reply. Black snorted internally. _Hogwash. You expect her to be able to remember the lists I read to you?_ He suddenly had a very vivid image of Mew rolling its eyes at the sky, murmuring to itself some incredibly unflattering things about a certain someone. _Hey, don't take that tone with me, now._ He winced as Mew mentally mumbled something else about how this is what Red felt like whenever he was around him. _Arceus―fine. I concede elegant defeat. If you'll stop doing that, I'll write the bloody list down for you to take to Hanako._

A smug "I'm waiting" type silence filled his mental landscape as Black realized Mew was waiting on something. _Yes_ , he begrudgingly thought. _All of it._


	11. Chapter 10

The long-awaited Christmas revels didn't begin until well after 7 PM, following the arrival of Scott, whose coming was heralded by the piercing squeal of incensed tires hurling down the Pallet roads. The five of them―Professor Oak, Scott, Hanako, Red, and Black―had been seated around the brand-new ebony table that Hanako had brought up and had just finished up their toasts (all except Red, of course) when a sharp tap on the door suddenly caught their attention. "Another guest?" Black heard Hanako ask as he went to see who it was.

 _Well, Mew?_ he asked. _Any hints, or am I supposed to guess it again?_ There was no audible reply from the little Psychic type, who had mysteriously vanished from sight and sense ever since it and Hanako had returned from their little trip to Viridian City earlier in the day. Instead of receiving some kind of muttered musing to interpret, he got a direct answer in the form of a vision of the clear blue skies. _What?_ he pestered but to no avail. The connection had been severed.

Black continued to mull over the question of what a blue sky was supposed to mean as he opened the door absentmindedly. In front of him stood none other than Blue (Oh.) Oak, who was tapping his foot impatiently. "Finally! It's about time you got here!" exclaimed Blue with a cheeky smile. He crossed his arms and arrogantly regarded Black with one eye as he continued. "My Rhydon could still have opened the door faster than you even _after_ a large meal."

The mocking comment earned him a broad grin from Black, who knew this was Blue's way of saying hi. "It's nice to see you too, Blue. Professor Oak said you'd show up."

The Viridian City Gym Leader's smile got even larger at the mention of his grandfather. "Oh? Did he now?" He gave Black a playful punch on the shoulder, which caused the other trainer to stumble out of his way, and stepped inside. "Thanks for getting the door, by the way." Black snickered at Blue's retreating back as he closed the door and hurried to join him in the kitchen, knowing it was going to be an interesting evening now that a loudmouth had joined them.

He cheerily stepped through the threshold and stopped dead in his tracks as he caught up to him. Black had a sudden flashback to being inside the Cold Storage as he sensed the emotionally charged atmosphere in the room. He sidled his way into his seat as noiselessly as possible while Blue and Red looked at each other, deadpan expressions front and center on both faces. The ticking of the kitchen clock was the only thing that sounded as the seconds went by in silence. _Tick, tock, tick, tock._

Finally, after a perfect minute had passed, Blue's poker face gave, causing him to crack and beam at Red, who still hadn't dropped his facade yet. He waved a hand in greeting, choosing to ignore his old friend and rival's impassiveness. "Yo, Red! It's been a while."  
Black turned to Red, wondering how he'd choose to respond to all of this. To his complete surprise, Red's face relaxed as he presented Blue with a small half-smile and a nod. "It has," he replied. Everyone in the room involuntarily adjusted themselves more comfortably back into their seats as the quick exchanged rapidly drained the tension in the room.

Hanako stood up to usher Blue to his seat as she welcomed him. "Blue! It's a pleasure having you over for dinner on this special night! Please, have a seat." She sat him right next to Red, who shuffled a foot back and forth. "Can I get you a drink?" she asked.

Blue blinked, trying to catch up to the odd changes in pace. "Uh, sure, I guess," he answered blankly. "I'll have some cold water, thanks." Hanako rushed off to pour him a glass as he turned to Red. "So have you heard the news about the Pokemon World Tournament yet?" Red glanced over at him, his ignorance of the subject readily apparent. "The Pokemon World Tournament?" Blue repeated, clearly expecting a different reaction. "Don't tell me! My bellicose little Red, with his track record, would surely have heard about only the largest gathering of battle saints to date by now?" He gasped dramatically. "No way... I'd _never_ imagine the champion of Unova as the type to withhold information!" Blue cackled wickedly at the fun he was having like he'd been deprived of it all his life.

"Actually," said Black, interrupting Blue's ersatz performance with a finger, "it's _former_ champion to you. And I hadn't a clue there was such a thing going on until now. How'd you find out?"

Now it was the Viridian City Gym Leader's turn to be confused as he looked both Black and Red up and down quizzically. "I got a letter inviting me to the event. How did you two not get one with your reputations?"

"Well, I suppose I couldn't remain silent about it forever," interrupted a voice. The three former champions whirled around at Scott, who had spoken up. He gave them his signature smile and pushed his sunglasses further up his nose as he gave them a thumbs up. "It's a really long story," he told them. "So I think it's best if we did all this over the meal."

Hanako came back carrying a plate full of colorfully tantalizing hors d'oeuvres. "I agree. We've all said our toasts, so let's begin!" They silently munched for a while after that, savoring the delicious crostinis and bruschettas topped with cheeses and meats handpicked by Black as the food made its way down their gullets.

Finally, when everyone had had their fill of the appetizers, Scott began to talk. "Alright, now that our stomachs are a little full. To really understand everything, I suppose I'll have to go far back." Scott tapped his chin for a second before shrugging. "Alright. First, the history. Everything that I've accomplished so far, including getting Red here back down from Mt. Silver, all starts with something I'm sure you're all familiar with: a dream. Growing up, everyone around me—that is, my friends and peers—all shared some variant or other of the common goal of being the 'very best.' I, however, was—as one might call it—the oddball of the group. You see, I had no intention of aiming for the top spot in a tournament or festival. My dream was to instead perfect the art of battle."

Scott paused for a moment to help himself to a slice of ham, chewing thoughtfully as he did so. "With that end goal in mind, I left home on a quest to find strong trainers. On reflection, I suppose it was a terribly long and difficult journey. It took me years and years of struggle before I finally gave shape to my dream in the form of the first Battle Frontier. Now, several years after realizing my first ambitions, I have started to set my sights on something bigger. I want to open up another Battle Frontier, one unlike any other, filled with some of the most powerful trainers in the world! The crème de la crème of battle saints, if you will." Black exchanged a glance with Red at the dramatic statement.

"I've had the idea for quite some time, actually, and all of the pieces were in place already. It was only a matter of whether or not I wished to go through with my plans. One of the things I did to prepare for the creation of the new Battle Frontier was make my way up the ranks of the International Pokemon League. See, being appointed to their board of directors is an incredibly advantageous position to be in when you're someone like myself, who wants credibility and a name to their battling organization. The League has all you need: a powerful marketing voice, widespread connections, and, most importantly of all, a large fanbase.

"Despite all of that, though, I _still_ lacked a method. And I couldn't propose my idea to the League until I thought of one. Then, in walked the Gym Leader of Driftveil City."

"Hey, that's Clay!" Black interrupted. It sure was nice hearing about the people of Unova after all his travels.

Scott nodded. "Exactly. Turns out he was looking to increase the flow of tourism into his city. When the League asked him what solutions he had in mind, he offered to have his city host a Pokemon World Tournament to find the world's strongest trainer, as a way to spur 'friendly, inter-region competition.' As you can imagine, I jumped at the idea as it would further my own agenda as well. So, between the two of us, we worked out a deal with the International Pokemon League and the rest is history. Last week, the advertisement concerning registration for the World Tournament was aired in Unova. The ones for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh just came out yesterday, officially starting the final countdown. Which means it's only a matter of time before the Frontier Brains for my newest attractions make themselves known."

"Seems like you've had a busy year, Scott," Blue observed with a dry smirk. He closed his eyes and took a sip of his cold water nonchalantly.

Blue's comment earned him a round of hearty laugh from the owner of the Battle Frontier. "I guess you could call it that. The final details of the Tournament have also been worked out. But, before we go any further, I still have one thing left I need to do." He turned to Red with a serious expression. "Hiya, Red. The name's Scott. I'm sure you've heard a lot about me from Black, so I'll cut straight to the chase. I've been keeping a close watch on you, which is why everything that has happened so far ever occurred. I would like to do what I have done with Blue and Black and invite you to the Pokemon World Tournament to try your hand at becoming one of my potential Frontier Brains. You've been on my candidate's list for quite some time now. So, whaddya say?"

"Sure," Red said simply. Scott's entire body seemed to jerk forward at Red's unexpected response, obviously having anticipated the need to persuade him. "I accept," he confirmed as everyone stared at him in surprise. Black watched the former mountain hermit for a few long seconds as he absentmindedly shoveled an excess of sugar into his tea, trying to make sense of it all. He, like Scott, had expected Red to have taken a few days to weigh in on the pros and cons. Or, at the very least, take some time to ask for a few reasons why he ought to consider. Was it possible that he had already done that in the time Scott had been talking, having predicted such a turn of events?

The owner of the Kanto-Hoenn Battle Frontier, for his part, took the unprecedented development all in stride. Beaming more widely than Black had ever seen him, he said to Red, "That's excellent! I'm looking forward to the possibility of collaborating with you." He leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, tapping his chin thoughtfully all the while. "Now, what am I forgetting? Ah! That's it!" Scott counted off his fingers as he continued. "So... we've given the invitation, they've all accepted, now all that remains is..."

He snapped his fingers as his face lit up. "Right. There's still the requirements you have to complete. I hope I've stressed enough how very selective this competition is; even with an invitation, you have to continue proving your worth to the very end.

"To register for the Pokemon World Tournament when it opens, you must have earned either sixteen badges from two regions and at least made it to the quarterfinals in their respective conferences _or_ obtained all of the Frontier Symbols from either the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier or mine. Whichever of the two options you chose aside, they must have been acquired within the time span between the countdown to the World Tournament and its registration week in order to count. Therefore, Black, I'm afraid your Frontier Symbols won't qualify, having been obtained before the countdown." The addressed hummed to indicate he'd heard.

"Both regular and titular conferences will be held each month within every region starting in January until the month before the start of registration in order to allow you a chance at qualifying, should you choose that route.

"After registration, there will be an opening ceremony, followed by the preliminary, which will be marked by a mass-purge event. Then, the main tournament will ensue with the various battling officials of the five regions joining in after a few rounds. Finally, the end will be marked by a little something-something that I'm supposed to remain hush-hush about." Black poked amusedly at the slice of ham he'd helped himself to earlier as he listened to Scott's voice rise higher and higher with every passing sentence. "However, on account of the fact that I've personally watched Black battle and know what he's capable of, I— _we_ , as the Pokemon League, are willing to make an exception to the requirements regarding his and your entry, Red."

Both Red's and Black's ears perked up. "Rather than have you face, say, all seven of my Frontier Brains, I'm offering you the opportunity to merely battle two of them in a tag team battle. If you can defeat them both, the two of you will be automatically qualified to register for the Pokemon World Tournament. What do you say?"

The former champion of Unova glanced over at his fellow title holder. "Well? What do you think?" Red's head gave a small twitch to the left to indicate his approval. "I should probably also remind you that partnering up requires that you at _least_ give verbal commands to your Pokemon." Again, another shrug from Red. "Okay, Scott. It's a deal."

"That's excellent," said the owner of the Battle Frontier with a grin. "I can't wait to see what the two of you together will produce, heh heh." Scott helped himself to a sip of his drink as he stared off into space.

No other words were exchanged as everyone unanimously stood up to help clear the table and wash the dishes. When the last plate had cleaned and dried, the six of them made their way toward the living room, where the fireplace was already lit and awaiting them cheerily.

Black and Blue took a seat on either side of Red on the sofa, lazily lounging about as they waited for someone to start up the conversation again. When no one did, Black decided to ask Scott the question he'd had this morning. "Hey, Scott." The owner of the Battle Frontier perked up at the sound of his name. "I was wondering: is there a particular reason behind my being chosen to find Red." Suddenly, everyone in the room was sitting up attentively as they waited for Scott's answer.

He took a moment to scratch his chin before responding. "That's a tough question to answer. Truth be told, there really _isn't_ a pressing reason for why you were the one to bring Red down." When he saw the look of confusion on Black's face, he further elaborated. "Nothing in the line of 'the Chosen One,' I mean. I only started to take notice of you after your victory over the Unova champion, Alder, a while back. It was more like reading the headlines and then forgetting about it more than anything, really. So imagine my surprise when your name repeatedly popped up again, first as the victor of the Sinnoh League and then the Indigo Conference."

Black's cheeks turned a rosy pink as he pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Er, thanks," he muttered.

"Hm. By that point, I had all eyes and ears on you, waiting. So when I'd heard you'd also managed to conquer the Indigo _League_ and were coming down to Pallet Town in search of Red, I made a beeline for Professor Oak's lab in the hopes of intercepting you, both to recruit you to the Battle Frontier and because I figured if anyone could give Red a run for his money in a battle, it was you. It would appear as though I was right."

Black opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a sound at the door. Everyone's heads snapped to the source of the noise as the person outside tapped lightly once more. "Ah, that must be my sister!" cried Blue.

"You have a sister?" asked Black, whirling around to look at Blue, who shrugged.

"Of course," he replied simply. "I thought everybody knew that."

"Not me."

"Well, you just got here."

Another knock. "Are either of you going to get that?" interrupted Hanako. "Because otherwise, I will." She didn't wait for an answer, making her way quickly to the front where another beat was being sounded. "Coming!"

"Good evening, Mrs. Hanako!" cooed a voice outside. "How are you on this fine Christmas Day?"

"Well hello, Daisy!" cried Hanako. "I'm doing fine. And who's that behind you? Could that possibly be Leaf?" Black's eyes turned to Blue and Red as they both stiffened unexpectedly at the mention of the name. "Oh, it _is_ you! How wonderful! You two look absolutely lovely tonight. Come in, come in and join us." He watched as Hanako made room for the two visitors outside to step through, curiously wondering through the constant babbling who they could possibly be to get her to gush like that.

"... and Red's here tonight, too! You can't imagine how positively _ecstatic_ I am: It's been so long since I've had this sort of a holiday," Hanako was saying with a small wave of her hand. "Here, let me help with that jacket and those bags."

"Thank you," said the two visitors as they walked inside. The first woman to appear looked to be about somewhere in her early twenties, with soft, cascading, light brown hair that eerily resembled a certain Gym Leader's own. Her caramel eyes shimmered with warmth as her gaze swept the room. She handed Hanako her small handbag and black jacket, revealing a simple black dress with a flowery, blue and white poinsettia print near the neck.

She smiled and waved kindly at everyone. "It's nice to see you all tonight! I'm Daisy Oak for those that don't know me." Leaning down, she took off her matching high heels and made her way towards the small gathering of people with a small bounce in her step. "Blue! It's been so long! You hardly ever come to visit in Cerulean City. That hurts, you know." She pretended to pout as the Viridian City Gym Leader winced.

"Yeah," he said nervously. "Heya, sis." He gave her a small wave as she took a seat on the armchair to his right. "And if it isn't the Leafy Greens. Travel well, little Romaine Lettuce?"

The girl known as Leaf gave an indignant huff and small wave to everyone as she nodded politely in thanks to Hanako and handed her her purse. She gave Blue an intense glare as she took off her white hat, which had a pink Pokeball logo on the front. It was actually a rather intimidating sight, seeing this sixteen-year-old girl (was she actually sixteen? Black wondered) put her hands on her hips and lean forward slightly to give his friend's rival the evil eye.

"You know I don't like being called that," she scolded Blue. "Although I do have to admit I'm rather flattered you finally settled on a pet name for me." She took a second after removing her athletic shoes to dust off her pink skirt and fix her sleeveless teal shirt before making her way over to the other remaining armchair on Black's left. She peered over at him, asking in a pleasant voice, "Hi! I'm Leaf Green. And who might you be?"

Black reeled back slightly as she rested her head on her arm, which was in turn on top of the chair's armrest. "D-erm, Black. I'm from the Unova region, which is why you've probably never seen me before."

To his surprise, Leaf smiled broadly at him as something seemed to register in her head. "So you're that trainer I've been hearing about that's been making his way through all those Leagues! I've been hoping to run into you, seeing as to how you make quite the decent trainer. You and I should have a battle with Blue and Red sometime." She glanced at the other two boys who were following along with the conversation. "Just like old times."

"Belligerent as always I see," Blue noted. "You and Red would make a fine couple."

"As if you two wouldn't," Leaf snapped back. An awkward hush filled the room as everyone awkwardly shuffled their feet. Red's face was positively glowing as it flushed a shade of scarlet akin to a ripe Tamato Berry at the remark, while Blue simply turned away from Leaf with a small "Tch!"

"So, uh, Leaf," Black started hesitantly, keen to break the tense silence, "tell me a little bit about yourself." It was a pathetic attempt at an icebreaker, but it would at least get everyone talking again. If Leaf noticed anything about it, she didn't say.

"Hm? Well... let me see. What is there to say?" she asked herself.

"I agree," Blue interjected unexpectedly. "What is there to say about you?"

Black rolled his eyes in exasperation as the two started to go back at it again, trading verbal blows with each other. "Have they always been like that?" he wondered aloud.

"Yes," replied Red, much to his surprise. He stared at him expectantly, waiting for more. When none came, Black turned to the adults in the room.

Daisy covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she giggled. "They've had something of a mutual rivalry with each other since they were young: you could almost say Leaf, Blue, and Red were the three starter types. If I didn't know any better, I would even say they had a crush on each other."

Both Blue and Leaf paused their bickering to wheel around and yell indignantly at Daisy. "I do not!" they shouted simultaneously.

Hanako let out a small laugh as they went back to trying to tear each other's throats apart. "Red, Blue, and Leaf used to play with each other as children," she explained. "Those three were practically inseparable growing up. They even started their journey together when they were ten. That's why I was so sure that they would travel together, but I guess something came up that caused them to separate." She stared off wistfully for a second. "Either way, it doesn't matter now as they all eventually found their way to the Indigo Plateau and became champions!"

Black looked back at the bickering duo with a newfound respect. Three champions out of Pallet? That was even more than back in Nuvema. "You're telling me all three of them gave up the champion seat to Lance?" He thought back to his first encounter with the red-haired Dragon Master and winced.

"Funnily enough, that's right," replied Professor Oak. "Blue was the first to reach Lance, but he was promptly defeated by Red, who in turn lost to Leaf."

"It's only because Red's Pokemon were already worn out from Blue's battle prior," Leaf interrupted politely, waving a hand.

"Why didn't either of you stay?" Black asked Blue and Leaf.

"Too much work," shrugged the girl. "Jokes aside, I just didn't feel like being tethered to a position like that. There was so much more of the world I wanted to see."

"And you, Blue?"

"I wasn't ready," he said bluntly.

Leaf's eyebrow soared, as did Red's and Professor Oak's. "That's not what I was expecting."

The Viridian City Gym Leader scoffed. "As if you'd understand. Gramps gave me a nice little lecture after Red handed my ass to me on a silver platter." Blue continued, cutting Professor Oak off before he could voice an objection. "Which, looking back on it, I deserved, much as I hate to admit. My time as the last stop of many Indigo champion hopefuls has taught me that much, at least." Blue's grandfather leaned back into his seat, completely felled by Blue's humble admission. He said nothing as he took a long, hard look at his grandson. Blue shuffled his feet in agitation as he saw his grandfather's intense gaze. "What? Did I say something again?"

"No," said Professor Oak, shaking his head. "On the contrary, my boy, you merely surprised me with how much you've grown, both as a trainer and as a person."

Blue gaped in awe at the researcher for a few seconds before letting out a hearty bellow. "Gee, thanks, Gramps. Honest. Coming from you, especially after all these years... _Whew_! It's just..." He took in a shaky breath in an effort to stop himself and failed miserably.

"... For someone who's matured, he certainly seems quick on the draw to banter with someone else," Leaf finished.

Red nodded. "Agreed." Blue shot them both a frigid glare as he finally calmed down.

Black suddenly had a thought. "Hold on," he said, gaining everyone's attention.

"Go on," urged the Viridian City Gym Leader impatiently.

"Are you participating in the World Tournament, Leaf?" asked Black.

She looked at him in surprise, and then pulled out a stamped letter. "Yeah. Are you all?" She looked around at everyone as if noticing for the first time just how large the audience was. "Oh hi, Scott. I didn't see you there."

Scott held up a hand in greeting. "It's alright. You and Blue gave us quite a show, after all." The two Pallet Town natives' cheeks were aglow at the remark, causing Black and Red to smirk.

"You two know each other?" inquired Blue.

Leaf stuck her tongue out playfully at the Viridian City Gym Leader. "Sure do! Scott and I met while I was roaming aimlessly near the outskirts of Johto, and he invited me to the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier that was nearby. Speaking of..." She paused to run back and dig into her pack, shuffling around its contents haphazardly as she muttered to herself. "Lemme think... where could it be?... Tada!" Leaf triumphantly produced a case, which she pushed open to reveal five, sparkling slips of paper inside. "Gold Commemorative Prints!" she declared proudly.

"Prints?" Black repeated confusedly.

"They're the equivalent of the Frontier Symbols you're familiar with, Black," explained Scott.

"I see. Thanks."

"Funnily enough, I just got my last one from the Tower Tycoon Palmer yesterday. It was supposedly a few hours after the initial start of the countdown too." Blue, Red, and Black stared at her as she laughed ruthlessly, unable to believe her luck. "Which means I will be seeing _you_ all at the Unova region where the Tournament's being held."

The conqueror of the Sin-Joh Battle Frontier helped herself to another round of laughter as Hanako returned from the kitchen with a small tray of drinks. "I hope tea will be enough for now; the hot chocolate's cooking if anyone wants some of that later." She handed each of them a cup and set down the tray on the table in case anyone wanted some sweetener.

Black reached over and helped himself to a few healthy spoonfuls of sugar. He stirred the white crystals into the clear liquid, watching as they gradually vanished from sight. Once he was certain that all of the solids in the drink had dissolved, Black raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. A vague, salty flavor filled his taste buds with the first contact. He set the teacup down again, carefully scrutinizing the innocent drink with uncertainty.

"Is something the matter, Black?" asked Hanako.

"Er, not at all," he replied. To prove his point, Black took a healthy swig of his tea, only to recoil momentarily afterward at the impossibly saline taste that flooded his mouth from tongue to roof. He hurriedly threw an arm over his mouth as he doubled over, retching and heaving as some water unexpectedly made its way down his throat.

From behind him, Mew finally made its first appearance of the night as it guffawed maniacally. Leaf and Daisy leaped to their feet in shock at the sight of the _non-compos mentis_ Mythical Pokemon, who began flailing about loudly in the air. Hanako calmly came over and handed Black a napkin, having grown used to Mew's ideas of a prank long ago, and gave him a few smart slaps across his back for good measure.

The commotion in the room slowly died down as Black's breathing returned to normal. He sat down back down in his seat with a relieved sigh, not even bothering with the pink Psychic type that was hovering above him. "Mew?" it asked, gently nudging his head. The unspoken message was clear: _You're not dead yet, are you?_

Black looked daggers at it from beneath the shadow of his hat, the reflecting light from the fireplace giving his eyes a murderous gleam. "I'm fine _now_. No thanks to you." He pushed himself up off of the back of the sofa he was sitting on, catching Leaf's confused look as he did so. "Leaf, Daisy, meet Mew. Mew, Leaf and Daisy. It's a really long story."

Leaf blinked. "Uh, hi, Mew."

"Mew!" waved Mew. It scurried over to the girl and immediately began to toy with her hair using Psychic.

Black sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Mew certainly knew how to make a dramatic appearance. He let out a grunt as he got to his feet. Every pair of eyes in the room fixed on him as he made his way toward the entrance. "I hope it's alright if I excuse myself for a while. I need some fresh air after that little fiasco." Without waiting for a reply, he softly closed the door shut.

The cool night air struck Black like a slap to the face as he walked blankly off the steps to Hanako's house, chapping his lips and causing him to shiver. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he tried to get some warmth back into them.

Black pulled out his team's Pokeballs and tossed them into the air, calling out their inhabitants. His five remaining party members appeared with a happy cry, watching him expectantly. "Hey, everyone," he said holding out his arms. "Happy holidays!" Samurott, Hydreigon, Metagross, Dragonite, and Lucario all tackled him in a massive group hug as he laughed beneath them, squirming to get out from underneath. "Ahaha! Okay, guys, cut it out. Gah—you're going to squash me, haha!" He wrestled with them for a moment, trying to get his team off of himself before some bones were crushed. Finally, he sighed in resignation and simply laid there, giggling uncontrollably as his sides and face were nudged affectionately.

By the time Black had managed to carefully work his way out from underneath his Pokemon, he was red-faced and panting from all of the laughing and rolling he'd done while on the grass. He got up and dusted his clothes off and then nodded at his team. They took off to explore their new environment for a bit while he settled himself down on the steps underneath the amber glow of the porch light.

A thought abruptly crossed his mind as he stared up at the infinite night sky: an unspoken oath made just before he'd become so entangled in Scott's elaborate schemes for his new Battle Frontier. His heart began to pound as he thought about how best to approach the call he was about to make to his mother. How would she react after barely hearing from him all these years? Would she be mad? Taking a deep breath to reassure himself and still his antsy nerves, Black dialed his mom's number into his Xtransceiver and waited as the little square screen hummed melodically...

* * *

Extra

 _Several months prior..._

Nate Wayland glanced down at his Xtransceiver again impatiently. The little square screen stared up at him innocently, buzzing softly as it worked to establish a connection with his mom, who'd asked that he call her when he finally arrived in Nuvema Town. "Come on," he grumbled. "Stupid thing!" He was just about to disconnect the call when his mom's face abruptly burst to life onscreen. "Oh! Hi, mom!"

His mother's features lit up when she realized who it was that was calling her. "Nate! How are you, dear?"

He couldn't help but grin broadly at her, despite the recency of their previous call. "I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear. I take it you're still taking care to change your underwear between battles?" Nate's mom gave him a sly wink, causing him to redden profusely.

"Wh— _Mom_!" he spluttered indignantly. "I've been on my journey for more than a year now! I have the _Dragon of Truths_ , for goodness' sake! I think that's more than enough to tell you whether I've been changing my underwear or not."

Nate's mom smiled innocently at him. "You can't ever be too sure, hun," she replied. "Even the greatest heroes forget the smallest of things every now and again. That's why their moms are there." He rolled his eyes in exasperation and let out a long sigh at the exaggerated wink she performed. "So I take it you're in Nuvema Town right now?"

Nate nodded. "Yeah."

"An old friend of mine lives there. We haven't talked since I last saw her seventeen years ago before her, er, trip. Her name's Faythe Black." His mom paused expectantly as if waiting for some sort of response.

"Her name doesn't ring a—" Nate stopped with a gasp, his eyes widening as he realized why the last name sounded so familiar. "Wait. You don't mean—"

"Yes. She happens to be the mother of the famous Hilbert Black. I was wondering if you'd drop over and say hi to her for me after you go and see Professor Juniper. I'm sure you could learn a thing or two from her too; she _was_ a trainer, after all."

"Uh, sure. I'll pay her a visit."

"Thank you, Nate. Well, you'd better get to it soon. Tell me how it goes, alright?" Nate nodded. "Take care!"

"Okay. Bye, mom." He pressed the red button that ended the connection, staring at the blank display for some time, trying to sort out his thoughts. Hilbert Black's mom, huh? At long last, he was finally going to get some answers on the person whose existence had so long eluded him. This trip might actually turn out more interesting than he'd originally thought...

.

"'Blacks' residence,'" Nate read, peering down at a short red mailbox. "Huh. This must be it." He hastily straightened up with a loud crunch of his back to take a gander at the former champion's house, unable to contain his curiosity. Before him lay a blue-roofed two-story house atop a small hill, which stood like an isle in the midst of an endless sea of lush peridot grass, a unique species amidst the well-kept masses. Only the resplendent maple tree—whose verdant leaves were fully capable of giving the waving grass a run for its money—situated off to the right of the property shared the house's predicament, serving as the only source of shade for the place. A small dirt pathway flanked on either side by the most stunning amethyst bellflowers Nate had ever seen scaled up the majestic little hill, leading straight to the Blacks' front door.

As he made his way leisurely up the slight rise, Nate noticed a pair of Pokemon sleeping off to the side in the cool darkness of the tree, blissfully unaware of the world. He easily recognized the larger of the two Pokemon as a Tyranitar, having had a number of prior experiences with them under his belt. The green Armor Pokemon's finned partner took him a good deal longer to identify as a Vaporeon, a species particularly uncommon in Unova. Nate blinked. That was odd. Where, then, had Black (or his mom, pointed out his mind) gotten ahold of it?

His musings were unexpectedly cut short when he heard a sharp rustle within the leaves above. Nate's head snapped up as he attempted to locate the source of the sound. It took him several long moments of visual sweeping before he finally espied a mysterious red band that seemed to float in midair next to the maple's trunk. "Huh?"

A tentative step back revealed that the red band belonged to a body, which in turn belonged to a green Pokemon. "No way," murmured the teenager. "You're a..."

"Sceptile," finished the Sceptile. Though it was slightly shorter than him, there was something about the Grass type's composure that set Nate on edge. It positively radiated an aura of calculated collectedness as it leaned on the tree trunk casually from atop the thickest branch, watching him with a half-lidded gaze. For a second, Nate thought he could see the flash of a superior intelligence in its eyes.

He continued to maintain eye contact with the Sceptile for some time, unsure of how it would react. Once he was certain that the Forest Pokemon would make no move to attack, Nate tentatively disengaged himself from their intense staring contest so as to focus on more pressing matters. Adjusting his visor so that it rested more securely on his head, he continued on up the brief trek toward the home of the Hero of Ideals, all while under the intense scrutiny of the Blacks' Sceptile.

It took him two tries with the doorbell before someone finally answered the door. Nate couldn't help but take a step back in surprise when he saw a Zoroark warily peek out from within, a scowl creasing its face. Its expression slowly shifted to that of inquiry as Nate simply remained rooted to his spot, speechless. _I'm waiting_ , it seemed to say.

"Oh! Er, my name's Nate Wayland," he began hesitantly. "I was told that Black's mom lives here. Her name is Faythe, right?" The Zoroark nodded once. "My mom's an old friend of hers. She wanted to me to stop by and say hi." After a moment's hesitation, the Zoroark sighed and stepped aside to make room for him to enter before he could ask if he could come in. Nate hurried inside as the Dark type softly closed the door behind him.

"Welcome home, dear!" called a voice from within. "Did you find the friend you were looking for?"


	12. Chapter 11

_December 31st, X16. Late Afternoon. Pallet Town._

The sound of turbines approaching caught Red's ears. His hand instinctively froze in mid-air as he concentrated on detecting the source of the odd sound, which hummed like a swarm of Beedrill collectively screaming bloody murder. Beside him, Pikachu cocked its head in confusion as it too tried to locate the source of the odd sound. They both turned to their left and right, watching for a moment while the waving grass suddenly began to whip violently around and about as though it were in the middle of a great storm. The two of them exchanged apprehensive glances with each other before looking up together.

Red's control of his jaw failed him for a moment, causing it to drop in wonder as the looming shadow of an enormous pyramid passed by overhead. Despite the mystery surrounding it, there was surprisingly little in the way of elaborate decorations adorning the pyramid; its square base was split at the corners into four turbines, with a behemoth one in the center, and it could have easily flattened the entirety of his mom's property if it so chose to land. Grayed blue stones ran up its sides, which, when combined with the sapphire strip that ran around the perimeter of its upper portion, provided the only source of color to it. He was just beginning to process the sheer magnitude of the structure when Black unexpectedly burst out of the back door, panting.

"What's—?" His shocked eyes followed Red's gaze, widening further and further as he watched the strange building fly off into the distance. "It's the Battle Pyramid," breathed Black incredulously.

Battle Pyramid? wondered Red. The name left him with a sense of déjà vu, but it wasn't until Black spoke up that he realized.

"I bet Scott's here," he said excitedly. "It's about time, too. Tomorrow's the New Year!" Without another word, he rushed back inside the house, leaving Red to stare blankly at the shuddering door. He reappeared a few moments later with a slight bounce in his step and all twelve of their Pokeballs in his hands. "I'm going on ahead to see him. I've told your mom where I'm going if you want to join me," he said, tossing him his six team members.

He didn't wait for a reply as he inhaled deeply and let out an earsplitting whistle that caused Red to wince and rub his ear. Black's call was answered by a booming roar, which caused even Charizard, who was sleeping nearby under the shade of a birch tree, to open one eye. A flash of blue lightning soon followed and briefly blinded Red, clouding his vision in dark spots. When he could see again, Black had already climbed on top of Zekrom and was preparing to take off. "You coming or what?" he asked, watching him expectantly.

Red gave Black a small smirk in response. "Sure." He hurried over to Charizard and nodded. With a mighty flap from both draconian Pokemon, the two of them took to the skies. It seemed like no time had passed before the uniform, green paddies of Pallet Town were broken by the sudden appearance of a slate blue apex, whose sharp lines caused it stand out incongruously against the rolling landscape. As they got closer, Red could see that it was connected to the larger body of the Battle Pyramid.

The battle facility was unlike anything Red had ever seen before, towering clear above the hills below which it was situated. It was as if the structure was leering at them with its shadow as they began their descent, and although he realized the thought was absurd, Red couldn't help but think back to the time he'd stormed the Lavender Tower. With the extra proximity, he could make out the indistinct shapes of three figures who were watching them closely.

He hopped off of Charizard's back when they'd landed and, casting it an apologetic glance, recalled it. He took a moment to observe the area where they had landed, having never been to this part of Pallet Town before. They were standing atop a hill, which gradually dipped down into the valley where the Battle Pyramid rested. Wildflowers of every kind and color dotted the landscape as far as the eyes could see, ranging from the richest red to the most vibrant violet. Red looked down and shifted his foot back and forth across the lush grass out of curiosity. Sure enough, the grassland would make for a battlefield of the highest caliber should they choose to do battle outside.

"Shall we get ourselves down there then?" asked Black, absently rubbing Zekrom's snout. "I can see Scott and two of the Frontier Brains waiting for us." He recalled the Legendary Dragon type, much to Red's confusion, and shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, waiting. Red glanced down at the base of the valley and shrugged. At the sight of Red's response, Black began to casually stroll downhill. "Let's get to it, then."

As they made their way toward the entrance of the Battle Pyramid, Red was able to more clearly make out the features of the three men waiting for them at its base. The tallest and oldest of the triumvirate was the first to acknowledge their arrival, greeting them with a small nod and a warm smile. Dressed in two sets of wraps—a sapphire one that left his right shoulder exposed and a mustard yellow one that covered his lower half, he looked like an ancient monk of some order, especially when one considered the peculiar blue staff he was carrying.

Scott noticed the man's movement and followed his eyes, catching sight of Black and Red as they came to a stop in front of him. The owner of the Battle Frontier grinned widely at the two of them. "Well well, if it isn't the Brains-to-be. How are you two?"

"Good," replied Black. "And you, Scott?"

Scott gave him a thumbs up in response. "Couldn't be better. You remember Spenser and Brandon, don't you, Black?" The addressed nodded, his eyes lighting up as realization dawned on him. "They'll be Red's and your opponents today. If you two would please introduce yourselves to our new friend, Red."

The old man stepped forward first, offering Red his right hand and the same genial expression he'd had earlier. "So you must be the Red that everyone's been raving about. My name is Spenser, and I serve as the Palace Maven of Scott's Battle Frontier. It's a pleasure to be doing battle with you today." Red gave him a polite nod and obliged the man, opting to remain silent.

He then looked toward the last of the group, who he assumed to be Brandon, and did a quick once-over of him. The Pyramid King, who had finally stepped out of the shadows to join them, had a scowl set on his face that could have put Mewtwo to shame. His olive green jacket and matching trousers gave him the appearance of a man of travel and archeology, an image which the black belt and gray pack hanging on his left side only further reinforced.

Red discreetly watched as his small dark eyes sized him up, the flash within them briefly betraying the man's sharp mind. The calloused hand that Brandon extended to Red had none of the bonhomie that Spenser had greeted him with. "I've heard much about you, young man," he said. "I am Brandon, the King of the Battle Pyramid. I'm looking forward to what you have to show me today."

Before any of them could get in another word, a voice from afar interrupted them. "Make way! The cheerleaders have arrived!"

Red whirled around at the remark to see Blue, Leaf, Professor Oak, and Hanako rapidly approaching them in a ruby red convertible. The extravagant sports car, which must've cost a fortune based on the scintillating light that kept winking off its polished surface, came to a stop beside Red, bringing with it a light cloud of dust. He waved his hand in front of his face to clear his vision and squinted hard. "What?" asked Blue as he got out from behind the driver's seat. "We came to see your match against the Frontier Brains. It's no thanks to Black that we're here either. Some communicator he is."

Red glanced over at Black and arched his eyebrows, causing him to flush scarlet. "I didn't think anyone would care one way or the other," he muttered defiantly, earning himself an exaggerated sigh from Blue, who shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Enough about Black..." interrupted Leaf, who looked eager to steer the conversation back to the situation at hand. "I believe he and Red have a match to complete?"

Scott hummed in agreement. "I figured since we were already in such a fantastic location anyway, we could just go ahead and have your battle outside. If it's alright with you two, of course."

"I don't see a problem with that," Black replied. "The open air gives us some new options, anyway."

Red gave a shrug to indicate his indifference. "I don't mind," he said.

Scott beamed. "That's great! Then the rules will be as follows: the battle will take place in this valley, with no field limits. It will be a one-on-one tag-team battle and will be over when both Pokemon from either side are unable to battle. Are there any objections to these terms?" Red and Black shook their heads no, with the Frontier Brains following their example. "In that case, I'll serve as referee."

Red stole one last glance of the two Frontier Brains before following Black toward their side of the field on Scott's right. He wondered to himself what Pokemon he would use, seeing as to how he and Black had been training with various combinations in preparation for this battle. After considerable deliberation, he made up his mind and turned around to face his opponents. A slight breeze blew through the battlefield, ruffling his hair as Scott raised his arms. "Let the battle begin!"

"Regice, I need your assistance!" called Brandon.

"Shiftry, by my side!" shouted Spenser.

"Lucario, let us reenact a battle out of myths!" yelled Black.

"Venusaur," said Red.

The four Pokemon appeared on their respective sides with a cry of their names, tensing as they all faced each other for the first time. Red's eyes lingered on the Pokemon that Brandon had called out, observing it closely while it straightened itself.

As if sensing his puzzlement, Black whispered rapidly, "Regice, the Legendary Iceberg golem of Hoenn. Focus on landing physical attacks on it and we won't have many issues."

Red slowly reexamined the ice golem, working out how best to approach the Frontier Brains' team. The Ice type had a definitive air of having been well cared-for to it that showed that it would not be an easy opponent. With only seven dots arranged in like a plus sign for a face, there was no way to judge what kind of emotions it might have been feeling to exploit. Black had mentioned that the best way to hurt it was with physical attacks, which he was sure his Lucario could take care of. But how did Brandon plan on using a Pokemon that, based on its considerable bulk, would likely be the slowest out of all of the ones present?

A loud voice abruptly cut through his thoughts. "You may have the first move!" offered the Palace Maven as he and his fellow Frontier Brain stood patiently on the other side.

Red shared a glance with Black before nodding. "Hm. Lucario, use Swords Dance," ordered Black, extending a hand.

"Venusaur, Sunny Day," followed Red. A rich, golden energy reminiscent of honey filled the center of Venusaur's pink flower, casting looming shadows about the place as it began to glow. When it had gathered enough energy, it launched it into the air in the form of a solid pillar of light that lanced clear through the firmaments, immediately causing all the clouds within a forty feet radius of it to dissipate like paper set alight. Red could feel a trickle of sweat creep its way down his neck as the sun's rays intensified, forcing him to squint. Beside him, Black's Lucario squared its fists upon the completion of Swords Dance and adjusted its stance to a more balanced position, ready at last to fight.

Brandon didn't waste any time in responding. "Regice: Rock Polish!" he hollered. Regice slammed its hands together with a booming crash, sending out a small shockwave that caused the grass to quiver. The Legendary ice golem's body became cloaked with an irradiant ivory glow, indicating to all present that Rock Polish's effects were beginning to take hold.

Red took a second to search the depths of his mind as he tried to ascertain the move's properties. Black had made an offhanded comment on its utility before, back when he was still on Mt. Silver. What was it he had so dryly quipped once upon a time? "With this Rock-type move, you'll have a real shiner on your team." Yes, that was it.

"Lucario, Extremespeed, then Metal Claw." Black's Lucario took off before Red could answer Brandon's move, becoming nothing more than a jet black blur as it zipped left and right toward Regice. It was then that the Ice type's arms returned to its side: Rock Polish was complete.

"Shiftry, protect Regice with Faint Attack!" At Spenser's prompting, the Wicked Pokemon made a sharp dash to its left and set its course straight for Lucario.

In front of him, Venusaur twitched and glanced back expectantly, obviously waiting for some kind of command for a counterattack. _Wait_ , Red told it telepathically. _Ready an Earthquake, but attack only on my command._ The Grass type nodded its great green head in response and slightly raised its right foot into the air, watching as its ally and two opponents neared each other and prepared to trade blows.

"Lucario, to your left!" shouted Black. "Aura Sphere!" With astonishing agility, the Fighting type shifted its weight in mid-leap, causing its body to dip back toward the ground. It dug its feet into the ground, sending a spray of dirt in all directions as the last of the energy from its jump dissipated, and brought the palms of its paws within a foot of each other. A cobalt flash winked into existence at the center of the space, swiftly ballooning in size as more energy was fed into it.

Red took a second to trade glances with Black. "Venusaur, Vine Whip support. Then Earthquake." A mass of army green vines shot forth from the base of Venusaur's flower, undulating wildly in the air like sound waves as they headed toward Lucario. The Fighting type jumped skyward, landing on Venusaur's vines just as they reached the apex of their motion. Venusaur raised itself up on its hind legs and gave its whips a particularly emphatic flick, launching Lucario clear into the sky.

A large cloud of soil and gravel exploded into the air when the Grass type's feet made contact with the ground again, setting off violent tremors all throughout the area. A trail of jagged fissures snaked their way outward from the area of impact, spreading like the branches on a tree to all corners of the battlefield while the earth heaved ferociously to and fro. Red couldn't help but smirk when he saw Spenser's Shiftry, which had just landed again from one of its incredible bounds, lose its footing and its concentration as the ground beneath its feet suddenly shifted upward on one side and downward on the other. Even Brandon's Regice, sturdy behemoth though it appeared to be, seemed to be heavily disoriented by the powerful shockwaves created by Venusaur's Earthquake attack.

Without missing a beat, Red heard Black call out to Lucario, "Now, Aura Sphere on Shiftry while it's distracted!" A second explosion ripped through the area as the overcharged cobalt sphere, which Lucario had been holding on to throughout the entire exchange, was hurled down from the sky at a perfect acute angle and made direct contact with Shiftry.

Brandon's riposte was quick and instantaneous, catching both Red and Black completely by surprise. "Thunder!" A large bolt of electricity arced out from within the thick curtain of debris left behind by the previous attacks and crashed into Black's Lucario in mid-air. Red's mind failed him as Lucario stiffened and spasmed like a shaken marionette. Neither he nor Black could do anything but watch as the latter's Pokémon began to hurtle toward the ground with increasing speed.

The Palace Maven didn't give either of them any time to rest as he moved to issue his own counterattack. "Shiftry, use Leaf Tornado and send Lucario flying!" Red made a grab for his hat as a towering tornado of silvery winds and lime green leaves spun into existence. Through the shifting veil of storm and soil, he could vaguely make out the shape of Spenser's Shiftry as it whipped its arms first left and then right. In response, the cyclone began to lumber its way toward its free falling target with astonishing speed.

Red scrambled to search for a fitting move that would dissipate Shiftry's Leaf Tornado. He needed something with the force and power behind it to completely break the grip that the winds had on those leaves. His immediate thought was Hyper Beam, but that would only leave the team more vulnerable. Frenzy Plant wouldn't fare very well here either, for obvious reasons. But what about?... He directed his gaze skyward, squinting as his eyes climbed higher and higher.

A small grin played at the corners of his lips when he felt the searing heat of the noonday sun answer his call. Perfect. "Venusaur," he said. At the sound of its name, the Seed Pokemon inclined its head so that its left eye was trained on its trainer. Red pointed at the whirlwind. "Solar Beam."

The Grass type turned its attention back to the Leaf Tornado, which was now seconds away from Lucario. The Aura Pokemon had just landed painfully from its fall and was now struggling to get up and away to safety. Small sands of golden light began to flock toward the center of Venusaur's flower as it quickly readied the necessary energy for the Solar Beam attack. Despite the considerably warm weather that the Sunny Day had brought to the battlefield, Red could feel his hands begin to grow clammy with sweat as he impatiently waited for the momentary setup that Solar Beam required. He was just about to go ahead and settle for an impartially charged attack when Venusaur quivered its back to indicate it was ready. There was no hesitation on Red's part as he gave the order to fire.

Venusaur immediately arched its back so that the dangerously glowing flower on its back was pointed straight toward the whirling funnel of leaves. It let out a loud cry of its name as a solid, golden beam of energy erupted into existence, shining with enough strength to dim the surrounding area. The attack easily tore through Shiftry's Leaf Tornado like a sword through a spider's web, leaving a gaping hole at its heart. Red let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding as he watched the last of the column of wind's strength fade away, leaving Lucario untouched. However, that didn't mean they were out of the woods yet.

Brandon glowered at the pair of them, the severeness of his face not aided in the slightest by the flashing light from Venusaur's fading Solar Beam. "Regice, use Blizzard."

Beside him, Black gasped. "Lucario! Get out of there!" The Fighting type struggled to raise itself at its trainer's command, obviously more than a little disoriented by the fall it had taken. It staggered a little and winced in a feeble attempt to run away.

Knowing that there was little time left for them, Red moved to intervene. With an apologetic glance to Black, he said, "Venusaur, Vine Whip assist. Then, Protect."

"I won't let you!" responded Spenser. "Shadow Ball!"

"I think you will!" countered Black. "Dragon Pulse, eleven o'clock!"

A pair of vines snatched Lucario right from where it was standing, pulling it toward Red's Venusaur just as Spenser's Shiftry hurled a dense purple orb toward them. At Black's command, the Aura Pokemon turned so that it was directly facing Shiftry's incoming Shadow Ball attack. It prepared an indigo-violet orb of its own and, without taking much time to ensure proper aim, fired it. To Red's surprise and mild relief, both spheres of energy collided in midair with a resounding boom, canceling each other out. It was the best cover they could've asked for, and, thanks to it, Lucario was safely transported to Venusaur's side without any further complications.

They were given no time to rest, however, as Brandon's Regice signaled the completion of its long overdue Blizzard. "Venusaur," Red said urgently. The Grass type nodded, its gaze hardening with concentration. A forest green hemisphere burst into existence around the two Pokemon, shimmering brilliantly with alternating dark and bright ripples that flowed like water over smooth stones. The Protect attack had arrived not a moment too soon.

Red felt a shiver creep its hollow fingers up his spine as the temperature plummeted all the way into oblivion. Frost slowly covered the tips of the rustling vegetation, staining the surrounding area a dull slate blue. Despite his experience with the cold on Mt. Silver, Red couldn't help but instinctively pulled his fiercely whipping jacket closer to himself as he felt the first snow from Regice's storm pass his face.

His eyes briefly flicked toward his Venusaur and Black's Lucario in concern. You alright? he asked Venusaur telepathically. He received a scoff from the Seed Pokemon in response. Of course, they weren't alright, but it could've been worse.

As if to show him just how true that thought was, Spenser spoke up. "Shiftry, give me another Leaf Tornado!"

Beside him, Red heard Black give a loud groan over the howling winds. "Not this again." A barrage of frozen leaves promptly followed the white sheets of snow that Regice had called forth, crashing with considerable force into the rapidly fading light of Venusaur's Protect. Red silently wondered just how much longer Brandon's Regice could continue its Blizzard attack; he had about forty seconds at best before Venusaur's concentration finally gave out. They needed a shelter from the storm and fast.

"Black," he said, turning to the Unovan trainer, "shelter."

It took his battle partner several precious seconds to process his words before he nodded in understanding. "Lucario." The slightly-recovered Aura Pokemon tilted its head to show that it was listening. "We need some cover from the Blizzard and Leaf Tornado. Can you manage a Rock Tomb?"

By way of answer, Black's Lucario produced two purple orbs within the palms of its paws. It swung its body left and right and threw the balls of energy, aiming for the ground in front of it. A pair of twin pillars jutted out from the spot where the orbs landed, forming a buffer between the two Pokemon and Regice's Blizzard. When it saw that its assistance was no longer required, Red's Venusaur gave an exhausted sigh of relief and lowered its mental concentration, removing the last of its Protect in the process.

Red shuffled over to peek out from the edge of their impromptu storm shelter to assess their current situation. What had once been a complete whiteout was now quickly being replaced by a quieting drift, allowing him to see further than the distance from face to hand. And what a sight it was: the once-waving grass was now as stiff as an army, buried completely underneath a solid inch of ice and snow. The Frontier Brains still looked as impassive and unperturbed as when they had begun, watching everything closely with an unreadable poker face.

"Well?" Black asked as he carefully made his way back. "How bad is it out there?"

"Bad," Red replied. "Grass's frozen." Black raised an eyebrow. "Completely."

His fellow champion took a moment to tap his chin in thought. "That's not good at all," he said with a frown. "Venusaur won't do well under those conditions, and we'll need all the help we can get against those two."

"Any suggestions?" pushed Red with a touch of impatience; they were in the middle of a battle, not sitting at his mother's having a tea party.

At the urging, Black took a moment to lean back, frowning. He hurriedly straightened up again after a few seconds. "Alright," he said at last. "I have a plan that will—hopefully—take out at least Spenser's Shiftry if we do this right." His eyes suddenly took on a mischievous glint as he continued. "Here's how it's going to work..."

* * *

Extra

 _Meanwhile..._

 _"That's it! That's it! That is it! After one great seesaw of a battle, Maury's Torterra is down for the count! Did you see that, Ted? That has got to be one of the greatest Dynamic Punches the Pokemon League has ever seen!"_

 _"Yes, that was some punch alright; I would definitely put it in the top five in the history of the League, right behind the famous battle that earned the Dome Ace, Tucker, his spot in the Kanto-Hoenn Battle Frontier."_

 _"Whew! That's some high praise, coming from you. Not that it's undeserved. Neither side has given an inch, and it's getting harder to hear myself over the roar of the crowd. It sounds like they're as eager to see Maury's fifth Pokemon as we are. Do you have any thoughts on what it'll be, Ted?"_

 _"Well, whatever it is, it's still going to take quite the miracle for our Hoenn friend to turn the tides against Maury, even with the defeat of his_ ace _."_

 _"You're right as usual, although I don't think it's quite fair to count Mr. Birch out of the running just yet. We've seen any number of upsets over the course of the Hoenn League conference as trainers duke it out for a spot in the championship league, and I'm sure this final battle will turn out to be just as much of a doozy!"_

 _"Mhm. And it looks like Maury's chosen his fifth Pokemon, a—"_

"Hey, Silver, is that you out there?" interrupted a groggy voice from behind him. Silver's hand was on the television remote before he knew what he was doing, slamming down on the mute button while his head instinctively snapped toward the source of the question, who was now yawning widely and stretching.

"Ethan? What are you doing?" he asked, choosing to ignore his friend's question.

"I could ask you the same thing," countered Ethan. The fifteen-year-old rubbed at his eyes tiredly, swaying unsteadily. Silver couldn't resist the urge to snort. Behind him, the flatscreen TV, which presently served as the only source of light in the otherwise gloomy living room, blinked on and off rapidly as the battle it was replaying raged on.

"I'm up early like I always am and watching reruns of the various League conferences," Silver answered curtly. He tried not to be too surprised by Ethan's disheveled appearance, but it seemed almost as if the guy was _trying_ to outdo the last time he'd looked like a mess. His black hair, which was usually his highest priority, looked like it had been struck by several healthy bolts of lightning, jutting out in every which way with an absurdity matched only by his humor. The striped pajamas he was wearing had been buttoned with the skill of a twitchy first grader, and its sagging collar seemed to create a Mobius strip, torn between following the urge to stick straight up and the order to bend.

Silver felt a slight sigh escape his lips as he finished his assessment of his rival's condition, mentally noting the bruise-colored bags under his eyes. He got up with a grunt and lazily made his way over to where Ethan stood. "C'mon," he said, taking a hold of his elbow. "It's barely five in the morning, and it isn't going to do us much good if you go and see Professor Elm in this state. You might as well go and catch a few more hours of shut-eye while you still can. I'll wake you up if you sleep for too long."

Without giving him any room to argue, Silver gently guided the New Bark Town trainer back up the stairs where he'd come from. "I came down because of the noise from the TV," mumbled Ethan at last. Silver stumbled.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Why were you watching the Hoenn League conference anyway?" The question was left hanging in the air as the two of them finally reached Ethan's bedroom at the end of the hallway. Silver reached out and opened the door before stepping aside to let Ethan in. The latter began to obediently step inside but stopped just as he was about to cross the threshold. "Hey, Silver, you never answered my question."

Silver's eyebrows arched at the observation. Maybe Ethan wasn't as sleepy as he let on. "The Pokemon World Tournament will be starting in a few months," he began. "The League has copies of every conference it's ever hosted in the past twenty years; I thought it'd be a good idea to go and get a head start by seeing who will probably be there."

Ethan nodded vaguely, his glazed eyes staring blankly at nothing in particular. He looked like he wanted to ask more questions but couldn't. Silver allowed himself another sigh. So much for Ethan's being more awake than he'd thought. "A light breeze could knock you over at this point," he said. "Go on."

With that, he nudged Ethan inside and resolutely shut the door, wincing slightly at the minor crash that indicated that the New Bark Town trainer had fallen asleep right where he'd fallen. How he managed to do that, he'd never know.


End file.
